izanami Culinary Team

Deborah Fleig - Design & Inspiration

Deborah Fleig is a renaissance woman. She’s a graphic designer, photographer, sake sommelier, owns the Ten Thousand Waves retail store, leads tours to Japanese hot springs, and is an artisanal sake importer & distributor.

She has been to Japan over 30 times, each time bringing back new ways to spread the gospel of Japanese bathing, culture, food, and drink. Deborah's design permeates izanami and was distilled from literally hundreds of visits to restaurants in Japan. One of her biggest contributions is the wild variety of sake in the fridge.

 Kiko Rodrieguez--Chef 

Kiko is from Veracruz, Mexico. He's been in the kitchens of Santa Fe for the last ten years, first at Inn at the Anasazi, then La Casa Sena, and most recently La Boca and Taberna. He's passionate about using the flavors he grew up--moles, salsas, braising--paired with the cuisines of the world. At izanami he will be melding a bit of Latin with the taste of Japan.