Takeshi Wada’s culinary journey was ignited in 2015 after watching the movie Chef, which tells the story of a chef who started a food truck business after losing his restaurant job. “I was 30 years old then, and the heartwarming storyline about the chef’s life and passion for cooking captured my imagination,” Wada recalls. His restaurant Teppan Maru-Take was born out of his desire to share Osaka’s rich food culture with Malaysians.
The pork-free teppanyaki haven located inside Seibu department store’s food hall at The Exchange TRX, Kuala Lumpur, is a culmination of his 15 years of culinary passion and experience. Born in Kagoshima, Japan, Wada graduated with a degree in liberal arts at a college in California, the United States. Upon returning to Japan, he worked at some of Tokyo’s trendiest dining and entertainment hubs including Ristorazione Le Luce, Ristorazione LE G.
A and Sabakuno Bara. Chef Wada at work at Teppan Maru Take. — Photos: CHING YEE SING “I was in the entertainment and club scene for 15 years, employed in different roles ranging from security and bar tending to customer relations and club management.
My last position was general manager of Feria, an international lounge, restaurant and dance club in Roppongi. After a point, I couldn’t take all those nocturnal hours anymore and decided to quit,” he says. He then focused on cooking and trained for six months at the highly sought-after yakiniku (Japanese barbecue) restaurant, Oyajinoyakiniku.
