Masa Urushido
Saxon + Parole | New York
February 2017
elivering pizza by bike through the streets of Tokyo, Masa Urushido knew he wanted something more, or at least different. A look in the classifieds had him running food at Tableaux, one of Tokyo’s finest restaurants. Not six months later, Urushido was behind the bar, mixing classics, carving ice, and laying the foundation for a bartending career. In 2008, after seven years in the business, Urushido was New York City-bound. He attended college and tended bar at Kingswood in the Village. It was there his talent was spotted by Paul Franich, a brand ambassador, who introduced him to Naren Young. Urushido joined Young and Linden Pride’s team at Saxon + Parole, where he now runs the bar program.
Urushido has received recognition for his creative approach and helped Saxon + Parole win “World’s Best Restaurant Bar” at Tales of the Cocktail in 2013, and “Best American Restaurant Bar” in 2016. But it was in 2014 that Urushido earned a personal achievement, winning the Chivas Masters Global Cocktail Competition. Today, he travels the world with Chivas, mentoring and inspiring young bartenders.
In New York, Urushido is inspired by and works closely with the kitchen at Saxon + Parole, led by Rising Stars alum Brad Farmerie. Urushido was also instrumental in the opening of Saxon + Parole Moscow and travels there twice a year to update menus and continue developing staff. With his collaborative spirit, inclination to teach, and infectious, mustachioed smile, Urushido is influencing bartenders in the city and across the globe.
