Ichimura Nabs a New Chef and a New Name

Following a contentious lawsuit between Ichimura owner Idan Elkon and big-name sushi chef Eiji Ichimura, Elkon has rebranded the restaurant and hired a new chef.

Chef Derek Wilcox will take over the kitchen in conjunction with a name change. The revamped website calls it 69 Leonard Street, though the restaurant spokesperson says the name will likely change to something other than the street address.

Wilcox has worked in Japan for the last 10 years, seven of which were at Kyoto’s three-Michelin-starred kaiseki restaurant Kikunoi. Ichimura’s listing on Resy has seats available starting Wednesday, September 20, though the restaurant’s rep declined to say what exactly the food will be when it reopens.

Ichimura the restaurant opened in late January as one of the spendiest places to eat sushi in New York City. Before that, chef Ichimura drew acclaim at his counter at Brushstroke, earning two Michelin stars at the bar space alone. Then in June, chef Ichimura took a temporary leave for health reasons that quickly turned permanent and nasty, per a lawsuit between him and Elkon. He has since left and started working at newly opened LES restaurant Uchu.

• All Coverage of Ichimura [ENY]
• 69 Leonard Street [Official Site]