Yoshihiro Tauchi is tough. When he developed back problems decades ago while butchering tuna at a New York fish company, his way of “taking it easy” was to switch to restaurant work. After he healed up he started his own fish company in Washington, D.C. That was only the beginning of his adventures in the U.S.
Tauchi and his wife, Yukiko, arrived from Japan 36 years ago and have been working hard in the food world ever since. They’re warm and accommodating people with a wry sense of humor. As they tell the story of their intertwining careers, Yukiko often translates for Yoshihiro, and they finish each other’s sentences with the ease born of a long partnership.
The two moved to Virginia in 1998 to help Foods of All Nations launch the concept of takeout sushi in Charlottesville. By the time the landmark restaurant TEN opened in 2006 on the Downtown Mall, Yoshihiro’s skills as a sushi chef were recognized enough around town that he was invited to come to TEN as a sous-chef. He spent nearly eight years in that renowned kitchen, while Yukiko stayed at Foods of All Nations.
The couple dove back into entrepreneurship in 2013, buying the sushi spot in York Place then known as Miyako. The Tauchis changed the name to Kokoro—meaning “heart.” But Kokoro turned out to be a popular name, and the couple ended up on the wrong end of a trademark lawsuit. Ever resilient, they changed their name to “Mican”—a tribute to the Mandarin-type oranges popular in Tauchi’s hometown on the island of Shikoku—and served up a sophisticated menu of classic Japanese food, including sushi, donburi, and ramen. Their food earned glowing reviews.
It was hard going in that location, though—so close to the bustle of the mall, and yet oddly quiet. So when their friend Pham, the owner of the Thai favorite Lemongrass, got ready to retire in 2016, he proposed to the Tauchis that they might have an easier time in his well-placed Corner location. They bought Lemongrass and merged the two menus, Thai and Japanese. Pham thought they wouldn’t have to work so hard there.
“But not true!” says Yoshihiro, laughing hard along with his wife as he continues the tale. For one thing, although Pham provided recipes, and one of the Lemongrass chefs stayed on to help, Yoshihiro had never cooked Thai food before. Even as he worked on learning this new cuisine, he faced new competition—the Charlottesville scene saw more and more Thai and other Asian restaurants opening all the time. And then COVID-19 came along, forcing them to survive on takeout only.
The Tauchis just kept on weathering the storm, though, showing the same grit that’s carried them through so many challenges in the past. And things are looking up. “Business is getting better,” says Yukiko, now that in-house dining has returned. They’ve gotten to know their new customer base—largely made up of students, who tend to order pad Thai or panang curry more often than sushi or donburi. And they’ve figured out how to adapt those flavors to American tastes. “South Asian food has very strong fish flavors, but we changed that to be more mild,” says Yukiko.
After 23 years in Charlottesville, these two are as much a part of the local scene as anyone. And they’re still bringing the deliciousness, one Volcano Roll at a time.