Susumu Kakinuma adjusts his apron and checks the wood-fired oven one more time. The Tokyo pizzaiolo who built Japan’s Neapolitan pizza scene from scratch is about to make his New York debut, and the anticipation feels electric even before the first dough ball hits the marble counter.
From February 24 through 28, Kakinuma will work the ovens at Sake No Hana on the Lower East Side, marking his first time cooking in the city that inspired his pizza obsession. The five-night residency at the Bowery restaurant represents years of planning and a friendship born from bold moves and Instagram messages.
“There was a long line, and you couldn’t get a reservation, and in perfect New York style we went up, breaking past the front desk and pulling our way in,” says Ralph Scamardella, describing how he and fellow Tao Group chefs discovered Kakinuma’s Seirinkan pizzeria during a Tokyo visit two years ago.
The connection started even earlier. Six years ago, Scamardella and culinary VPs Jason Hall and Yoshi Kojima had visited Pizza Savoy in Tokyo. When they returned, they learned the founder had left to open his own place. That founder was Kakinuma, and his new restaurant had become the talk of Tokyo’s food scene.
Scamardella began following Kakinuma on Instagram, noting the chef’s modest online presence. “He doesn’t have many followers, he doesn’t post much,” Scamardella explains. But when Tao Group decided to activate Sake No Hana’s underused pizza oven, Scamardella reached out through a simple Instagram message.
Kakinuma’s influence on Japan’s pizza culture runs deep. Known as the godfather of the country’s Neapolitan movement, he helped transform how Japanese diners think about pizza, elevating it from fast food to artisanal craft. His techniques blend traditional Neapolitan methods with Japanese precision and ingredients.
The collaboration comes as New York’s pizza scene continues expanding beyond its traditional boundaries. Just recently, Pizza Studio Tamaki announced plans to move into the East Village, showing growing interest in Japanese-influenced pizza making.
Reservations for Kakinuma’s residency opened on OpenTable, giving New Yorkers their first chance to taste the pies that draw hour-long lines in Tokyo. For five nights, the Lower East Side will host a master at work, bringing together two pizza cultures separated by an ocean but united by obsession with the perfect slice.
