| Tyson Cole | |
| Birth Date: | 3 September 1970 |
| Birth Place: | Sarasota, Florida, U.S. |
| Style: | Japanese, and Fusion |
| Education: | Apprenticeship |
| Restaurants: | Uchi
|
| Television: | Iron Chef America |
Tyson Cole (born September 3, 1970) [1] is a chef and restaurateur based in Austin, Texas, USA.
Cole had begun his culinary career as a dishwasher at a Japanese restaurant named Kyoto in downtown Austin, Texas. Attrition among the restaurant's staff gave Cole the opportunity to begin making sushi.[2] He was attending the University of Texas Austin, with interests in painting and architecture.[3] Cole worked three and a half years at Kyoto, from 1992 to 1996.[4]
Starting in mid-1996, Cole apprenticed for six and a half years under Takehiko Fuse, owner/chef of Musashino Sushi Dokoro in Austin, TX.[5] Cole also learned Japanese during this stint. Cole later continued his training at the sushi restaurant Bond Street in New York City.
In May 2003, Cole opened Uchi, a 95-seat 2600square feet sushi restaurant in Austin.[6]
On July 6, 2010, Cole opened his second restaurant, Uchiko (loosely translated meaning "offspring of Uchi") after a three-week soft opening period. For a time, the Executive chef at Uchiko was eventual winner Paul Qui. Cole mentored Qui and was featured in an episode of Top Chef for that reason.[7] [8]
In July 2012, Cole opened his third restaurant, the second location of Uchi in Houston, Texas.[9]
On May 31, 2013, Cole announced the late 2014/early 2015 opening of his fourth restaurant Uchi Dallas.[9] The restaurant opened its doors on June 1, 2015.
In 2018, Cole, together with Aaron Franklin of Franklin Barbecue, founded Loro, a restaurant merging the founders' two loves of Asian and Texas cuisine.
In 2005, Food & Wine Magazine named Tyson Cole "Best New Chef," one among ten chefs to receive that award.[10]
He led a team of Uchi chefs against Chef Masaharu Morimoto on the Food Network program Iron Chef America in March 2008.[11]
In 2006, Cole won goodhealth.com's "Healthy Chef Showdown" by a hair, over chef David Bull of the Driskill Grill.
In 2009, Tyson Cole was named one of Saveur's "Top 6 Texas Tastemakers."[12]
In 2008, 2009, and 2010, the James Beard Foundation named Cole as a semifinalist in the “Best Chef: Southwest” category of its "James Beard Foundation Award",[13] 2009,[14] 2010.[15]
In 2011, Cole was awarded the James Beard Award for "Best Chef: Southwest.".[16]