Born in Seoul, Korea and raised in Aspen, Colorado, Akira Back moved to the rocky mountain state at the age of 15-years-old for his father to pursue the family business. Back picked up snowboarding as a hobby which led him to pursue the professional circuit where he appeared in a handful of extreme sports movies and garnered praise from the sports top trade publications. During this time, Back began working at a local Japanese restaurant to supplement his income. After seven years on the pro-snowboarding circuit, Back realized that he felt the same thrill in the kitchen as he did on his board, shaping his decision to pursue a full-time culinary career.
Back attended and completed his cooking education at the International Culinary School at The Art Institute based in Colorado, establishing the framework of his technique and amplifying his knowledge of Asian cooking, allowing him to incorporate his artistic vision and Korean heritage. Combining his passions for adventure, travel and culinary exploration, Chef Back opened the world renown Yellowtail Japanese Restaurant & Lounge located inside the Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.
His repertoire of restaurants includes, Akira Back, his namesake restaurant, known for its limitless creativity in reshaping modern Japanese dining to create a distinguished experience, continues to span across the globe with locations in Paris, Dubai, Toronto, Singapore, Istanbul, Doha, Marrakech, Dallas, Delray Beach, Bangkok, Seoul, Riyadh with new venues on the cusp in London, San Francisco, Boise, Montana, Bali, Jakarta, Florence as well as Tenerife, Spain.
