“SHE LAUGHS FREELY AND OFTEN, A HIGH AND LILTING GIGGLE SO POWERFUL THAT A POOF OF GLITTER EXPLODES FROM MY PHONE WHILE WE SPEAK. IT IS PURE MAGIC. SHE’S THE ULTIMATE PARTY HOST, THE SAKE-SOAKED PIED PIPER OF THE EVERYMAN, AND IT’S WORKING: WHILE SHE’S TYPICALLY KNOWN AROUND TOWN FOR HER METICULOUSLY-CURATED LISTS FEATURING SMALL RURAL BREWERS IN JAPAN, NOW SHE WILL PROBABLY BE KNOWN AS THE ONE WHO INTRODUCED YOU TO PANDA-ADORNED SAKE CUPS AND CHANGED YOUR LIFE FOREVER.”
BY CASSANDRA LANDRY AT CHEFSFEED
It all started when…
ART ADMINISTRATION
With a background in Advertising, Public Relations and Art Administration (B.A. Simmons College ’06, Boston), Alyssa began her hospitality career in 2008 at the host stand for o ya restaurant in Boston, MA. She quickly fell in love with the hospitality, Japanese culture and the restaurant’s fast pace.
RESTAURANT MANAGEMENT
In 2009, she became Assistant Manager, which included managing service, coordinating the beverage program, supporting events and operations. She worked closely with James Beard Award-Winning Chef Tim Cushman and o ya co-owner, Nancy Cushman to continually provide a world-class experience for guests at o ya.
ADVANCED SAKE PROFESSIONAL
In 2011, Alyssa took John Gauntner’s Sake Professional course in New York City and was certified. She was promoted to Manager at o ya and developed an extensive luxury sake list and launched a sake education program. Many of those sake 101 students practice and teach sake themselves today.
In 2013, Alyssa took John Gauntner’s Advanced Sake Professional course in Japan, a trip that changed her life. Moved by the course and culture, she came home energized and motivated to share her experience with others. In June, her energy was recognized by Eater National and she was named an “Eater Young Gun.”
JAPANESE WHISKY SPECIALIST
Alyssa also studies Japanese whisky and was selected to teach a seminar on behalf of Nikka Whisky at Tales of the Cocktail in 2014.
PUBLICIST
Since then, the Cushmans’ have expanded to open a second o ya location along with rooftop cocktail bar, Roof at Park South, and neighborhood gem Covina in New York City. They have also opened a rock n roll izakaya called Hojoko right next to Fenway Park in Boston, where Alyssa designed the first all cup sake menu in the country. Hojoko was also the first restaurant in the country to serve sake on tap. During this expansion Alyssa oversaw the design of these new brands and how they translate into the restaurants, including building new brands, website construction, social media management, and all public relations for all 5 concepts and Chef Tim and Nancy Cushman.
COMMUNICATIONS & PROJECT MANAGEMENT
She is now the Director of Communications for all of Chef Tim and Nancy’s restaurant concepts and those in development. Alyssa is able to drive initiatives that include designing learning and development opportunities for the leadership team as well as project managing the opening of new restaurant concepts while simultaneously hanging on to her publicist responsibilities for the Boston restaurants.
BUSINESS OWNER
In April 2020, Alyssa left Cushman Concepts to propel 12 years of momentum in to her own concept. Her dream of opening her own Japanese sake bar is only slightly postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In June 2020, she launched The Koji Club as a pop up virtual sake bar partnering with Rebel Rebel and then OddFellows Ice Cream Co to make her dream a reality. Please visit thekojiclub.com to learn more.
