Exterior view of a modern restaurant with blue window frames and a wooden glass door. Outdoor seating with beige and green chairs, tables set with glasses, and umbrellas reflecting in the large windows. A sign inside reads 'Ethel's Fancy'.
A dotted yellow outline of a flower with a circular center and oval petals on a white background.

Fancy that!

  • Ethel was a Nisei Japanese American.

  • Ethel was a gracious host.

  • Ethel knew how to throw a heck of a dinner party.

  • Ethel was a fabulous cook.

  • Ethel is Chef Scott’s mom and maternal grandmother.

Chef of Ethel's Fancy smiling while working, wearing a navy blue shirt and apron in a restaurant with brick walls.

Scott NishiYAMA

  • Raised on Maui, Hawaii

  • Pursued a degree in Chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

  • All the while, Rediscovered a love for cooking and nurturing others.

  • Attended the Culinary Institute of America and subsequently went to work for Laurent Tourandel, Daniel Boulud, and Thomas Keller.

  • Later became executive chef of Chez TJ in Mountain View, earning a Michelin Star in 2010. 

  • Opened Ethel’s Fancy September 2022.