Peter Hoang grew up behind a sushi counter, elbow-deep in rice vinegar and expectations. His father, Sam, has run several sushi restaurants in the Kansas City area, including the low-key but well-regarded Sakae Sushi in Parkville. Hoang was on the knife early.

He left KC when he was 18 and went on a culinary walkabout, working at restaurants in Chicago, New York, Denver, and Jackson Hole. Now Hoang is back in his hometown, soon to open Akoya Omakase, which he expects to debut in July inside the Hotel Phillips (106 W. 12th St.).

Unlike Sushi Kodawari , which opened last summer and was KC’s first dedicated omakase restaurant, Akoya is hedging its bets on the omakase front.

“I wanted to do a high-end omakase restaurant, but I also wanted to build trust here among diners,” Hoang said. “So

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