Maynard James Keenan, the enigmatic frontman of the likes of Tool, A Perfect Circle and Puscifer, has added another business to his growing empire in Cottonwood, Arizona. Keenan‘s love of sushi has seen him carry a set of chopsticks in his pocket on tour for some 25 years, and now he is opening his own sushi joint, Queen B Sushi, alongside his wife Jennifer.
Maynard and his wife have previously launched the Queen B Vinyl Café in Cottonwood, AZ, which also serves as a live venue and record store. He and his wife have also been involved in his long-running winemaking ventures in the area, which include a wine bar, a barber shop, a ramen house, a coffee roaster and the Verde Valley Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy.
Now Queen B Sushi will be opening at 816 N. Main St. in Old Town Cottonwood, AZ on September 04th. Maynard said of this latest business venture:
“Although I’ve been enjoying sushi since my days in Boston, circa 1987, my first Japanese tour wasn’t until 2000 with A Perfect Circle. It was an eye opening and mind-blowing experience. While there, I picked up these amazing titanium and hard wood travel chopsticks from Snow Peak. And I’ve carried them with me ever since. Last year I ran into Janeane Garofalo at the Chelsea in NYC. She was saying to David Cross and Dave Hill, ‘I haven’t seen Maynard in several years but one thing I remember is that he used to carry chopsticks in his pocket.’ At which point I reached into my pocket and pulled them out. Twenty-five years I’ve been carrying these chopsticks. That’s how much I love sushi.”
A press release further spelled out this new venture:
‘Queen B Sushi is led by Culinary Director Chef Brett Vibber, whose résumé spans Roka Akor’s London, Hong Kong, and U.S. locations. Vibber built the Queen B Sushi team around two hires: Chef Chuhiro “Thomas” Kato, who trained under Nobu Matsuhisa in Beverly Hills and Masaharu Morimoto in New York, and Chef Sheridan “Sher” Chase, an Arizona native who built his career in kitchens from California to Texas before returning home.
The concept began almost by accident. When Keenan and his wife, Jennifer, were developing the menu for Queen B Vinyl Café, they shelved the idea of a full sushi program, assuming they wouldn’t find the right chef in a town of 12,000. Vibber, already on staff, turned out to be exactly that chef.
Queen B Sushi will pour a rotating selection of Caduceus Cellars and Merkin Vineyards wines.’
Reservations for Queen B Sushi are currently being fielded via Toast.
