Maido Chef Si Won Yu Dies, Restaurant Closes

Si Won Yu, chef/owner of Maido Essential Japanese Cuisine and Sake Bar, died on Nov. 26. He was 37 years old. According to his obituary, Yu, a U.S. Army veteran, was buried with military honors at Kentucky Veterans Cemetery Central in Radcliff last week. Yu's Facebook page lists him as having attended Jeffersonville (Ind.) High School and Indiana University Southeast.

The outgoing message on the restaurant's answering machine says, "Sadly Maido has closed." A Facebook commenter on the restaurant's page noticed a sign saying likewise first appeared at the restaurant on Nov 26.

According to a February 2011 review in the Louisville Courier-Journal, Yu took over Maido when the previous owners, Toki Masabuchi and Jim Huie, left to open the Dragon King's Daughter. The C-J's Marty Rosen declared, "Maido still a gem on Frankfort Avenue: Quality intact after ownership change."

·Maido Essential Japanese [Facebook]
·The Louisville Fantasy Restaurant Draft [Louisville.com]