Kurtis Wells
Beverage Director & Mixologist
@ Aburiya Toranoko Sushi Bar & Izakaya
Born and raised in L.A., Kurtis Wells was fortunate to travel the world in his early life. His travels took him to Japan where he fell in love with the Japanese culture. He has been a passionate bartender in the Los Angeles dining scene for the past 15 years working at bars/restaurants like Santa Monica's Monsoon Café, Vermont in Los Feliz and Hatfield’s on Melrose. He has been a passionate Wine lover for years but eight years ago he had his first Sake moment that changed his life. Since then he has immersed himself in the world of Sake. He has dedicated himself to learning everything he could about Sake, which is not a easy road to go down but full of rewards. Kurtis is working on a Sake program that he hopes will break down the walls of Sake. Sake made simple is his mantra and he wants people to learn and love the most amazing alcohol beverage on the planet.
Kurtis’ passions is to learn about Sake and turn people on to their first Sake moment. He loves to spend time with his lovely wife Lisa and beautiful son Logan. When he needs to take time out for himself he spends it in his art studio immersed in and creating his art. He is truly an artist at "heart" and a great guy to chat with about Sake.
