I’m very sad to share the passing of a great friend and someone whom I admired immensely, Yuji Nagatani. Nagatani-san, “Kaicho”, has been the seventh generation force behind @nagatanien_iga the makers of all our beautiful Igamono Donabe as well as countless pieces we share with our guests every day at SingleThread. I was able to become close with the Nagatani Family over many years, as they passed the torch to the eight generation, meeting them through my great friend Naoko Takei. Through our mutual love of donabe, family, friends, and food Kaicho adopted me into their family and opened up their whole world to us which was captured in the “Donabe” book Naoko-san, Eric Wolfinger, and I published in 2014. Unknowingly Kaicho changed the whole direction of my life. His way of sharing food and donabe with family and friends made me completely rethink the chef I wanted to become and the restaurant Katina and I wanted to open. We share a spirit of Kaicho’s omotenashi with our team and guest every day and his portrait watches over our kitchen to remind us to cook, serve, and live with happiness and appreciation. Thank you Kaicho, どもありがとうございました, you will always be a part of us.