Amano Kitchen Consulting

Turning Your Kitchen Into Your Hearth.

Commercial kitchen with stainless steel appliances including two ovens, a microwave, a fryer, and a stove with burners.

A chef’s insight into your kitchen layout and design

WHAT WE OFFER

Amano Kitchen Consulting works in cooperation with your project team to identify and meet your unique kitchen needs. We are not architects, interior designers, or builders; rather, founder Hugh Amano applies over 25 years of experience as a professional chef, cookbook author, and culinary instructor to understand the needs of each homeowner and restaurateur, collaborating with the project team to create solutions tailored to each client.

Over 25 years in professional and residential kitchens

OUR EXPERIENCE

A man cooking in a professional kitchen, lifting the lid off a steaming pot.

A wealth of experience gained over 25 years of working in professional, residential, and resort kitchens—consulting on the design of many of those kitchens—allows us to deeply understand what’s at the core of good cooking, lively entertaining, and gracious hospitality. Our experience cooking with and for individual clients in their homes, along with founder Hugh Amano’s experience writing cookbooks for the home cook, allows us to be able to identify and understand each client’s unique needs. We’re not after showroom kitchens—we want to help build your kitchen.

Collaboration across the board

THE PROCESS

Modern kitchen with white cabinets, stainless steel refrigerator, gas stove, microwave above stove, and a window above the sink. There are three bar stools at the island counter and various kitchen appliances on the counter.
A kitchen under renovation with unfinished cabinets, a stove, microwave, and open shelving, with a window providing natural light.
Architectural blueprint plans on a wooden surface.

Our process is simple: we start by meeting with each client to explore their culinary needs. From there, we’ll collaborate with the entire project team to review and, if needed, adjust floor plans, large equipment selection, and basic layout of the kitchen. We’ll discuss the outfitting of the kitchen with cookware and any other small equipment required and, if desired, assist in its procurement and placement. Finally, clients can choose to book one-on-one time in a session (or series of sessions) tailor-made to instruct them on the best and proper use of their new kitchen to make the most of it. After all, we’re not private chefs—but we’ll teach you to become your own private chef.

New home builds and kitchen remodels are performed by architects, whose talents focus on structural design and code compliance, and interior designers, who emphasize aesthetics and materials within the home.

Amano Kitchen Consulting elevates the functionality of the kitchen’s layout and its equipment, applying our deep culinary experience, knowledge, and ability to understand each client’s needs to ensure customization to their specific culinary, homemaking, and entertaining desires.

OUR WORK

Kitchens we’ve consulted on:

  • 3 Corporate Headquarters across Chicago’s West Loop

  • James Beard Award-Winning Restaurant, Chicago, IL

  • Luxury Guest Resort, Kamas, UT

  • Bar and Restaurant, Teton Valley, ID

  • Various Residences, Chicago, IL

Our other work in the culinary field:

  • 25 years as a professional chef, including:

    • Corporate Chef cooking solo for 100+ people per day

    • Chef for several restaurants (including Bon Appetit’s #4 New Restaurant in America)

    • Culinary Instructor

  • Published author:

    • Down South + East (Abrams Books 2026)

    • Let's Make Dumplings! (Ten Speed Press 2021)

    • Let's Make Ramen! (Ten Speed Press 2019)

    • The Adventures of Fat Rice (Ten Speed Press 2016)

    • Bon Vivant Culinary Journal

GET IN TOUCH

Tell us about the kitchen of your dreams

A black silhouette of a silhouetted person running on a strait path in front of a large, semi-circular numerical counter displaying 67664, with a scale or tape measure surrounding the counter.
CONTACT US