Meet Jacob Munnicha | Executive Chef & Product Manager

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jacob Munnicha and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jacob, what principle do you value most?
We believe that good food should not be expensive and it should be food that honors traditions and history of where it came from.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Joel and I have very different paths in life. We met in high school and we’re the best of friends. Throughout high school we both worked at a restaurant and kitchen starting at 16. Eventually one night we decided that one of our goals in life is to open a restaurant of our own. Originally it was three of us Joel Martin – Executive Chef and back of house, Jacob Munnicha – Executive Chef and marketing, and Josh Maslak – Executive chef and front of house. Joel was a jack of trades and never could settle on what he wanted to do in life, machinist, pilot, real estate agent and finally a salesman for a large corporation. From the time I’ve known him Joel was and is a better chef than I will ever be. His talents and potential far surpass mine.I went to Georgia Tech to study to be an engineer and went into industry. All the while working at a family restaurant. Josh was our compass he would always set us straight, he started off as a nurse and then went to school to become an airplane mechanic. Unfortunately, he passed away before we ever got the chance to open. None of us ever really felt fulfilled in our professional careers so we went back to what we’ve known and loved. Food. Tori is a combination of cultures that came from our brotherhood and friendship. Mixing Southern food and Japanese Food is something that hasn’t really been done, both have very humble origins and history.This fusion really sets us apart from traditional fried chicken joints. The Japanese and southern fusion is an interesting take on Japanese food but also one that makes sense when the flavors mesh. The history of Japanese comfort food and southern food Is that it was affordable and homey, southern food was traditionally made for the working class and to serve the poor, and Japanese comfort food also aligns with a similar history. We offer affordable food because we believe that to overcharge for comfort food is a disservice to the history of the original dish.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
A big shoutout I think has to go to our parents, they really pushed us to really follow our dreams. At first we were really shy/scared to share this venture with them but as soon as they found out they were very supportive and proud of us. Taka Sugita also played a big role in mentoring me. I worked with him for 2 years and he spent every weekend discussing what I wanted to do in the future and if I opened a restaurant what and where would it be. He gave us this opportunity to be able to open in the back of his grocery store. Without him we would have never been able to embark on this venture.

Website: Tori-USA.com

Instagram: @tori.atl

Image Credits
Noah Armstrong https://instagram.com/streetwulf?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==