Andrew Debellis came to Honolulu with dreams of becoming a traditional sushi chef, and before long landed a job as sous chef at Margotto, the Honolulu branch of Margotto e Baciare, which is featured in the prestigious Michelin Guide to Tokyo.

Instead of learning fine art of Japanese cuisine, the 23-year-old aspiring culinary artist says he ended up with lasting physical pain and emotional trauma from being repeatedly physically assaulted by chef Yohei Yagishita. 

In one instance, Debellis says, Yagishita punched Debellis so violently that the senior chef tore Debellis’ rotator cuff. The final blow came on Christmas Day 2023, when Yagishita punched Debellish so hard in the face that it caused whiplash, rendering Debellis unable to work. 

Even after physical therapy, Debellis says, he can’t fully use his arm.

“To this day, I can’t even lift much over 15 pounds,” he told Civil Beat.

A Honolulu jury awarded Debellis’ with a stunning $3.15 million verdict last week against Margotto’s owner, Japanese tech businessman Kazumoto Robert Hori, including $2.1 million in punitive damages.

Debellis’ attorney, James DiPasquale, says a key to the case was the allegation that staff who saw the abuse reported it to Hori, who did nothing.

Hori’s attorneys had argued that Hawaiʻi’s workers compensation law barred Debellis from suing Hori and that Hori knew nothing about the alleged abuses until after the Christmas Day incident at the Ala Moana restaurant.

Hori’s lawyer, William Ota, issued a statement on Wednesday expressing disappointment with the jury’s verdict.

“Margotto Hawaii and Mr. Hori are disappointed with the verdict and feel that the verdict is contrary to the evidence presented at trial,” the statement says. “Margotto Hawaii and Mr. Hori deny Mr. Debellis’ allegations. Mr. Debellis did not raise any issues to management about Chef Yagishita. Margotto Hawaii and Mr. Hori are exploring their options to determine the appropriate course of action.”

The statement adds that “a majority of Mr. Debellis’ claims, such as discrimination and assault, were dismissed with prejudice prior to trial.”

Instead, the jury found that Debellis suffered injuries as a result of Hori’s “willful and wanton misconduct.” The jury’s determination that Hori “acted intentionally, willfully, wantonly, oppressively, maliciously, or in a grossly negligent manner” led the jury to award $2.1 million in punitive damages against the restaurant owner on top of $1.05 million in actual damages.

Yagishita could not be located for comment. Hori’s lawyers said they did not know Yagishita’s whereabouts but said he is presumed to be in Japan although not working for Margotto e Baciare.

The experience described by Debellis comes across like a grotesque exaggeration of a stereotypical high-pressure gourmet restaurant kitchen.

The bullying began soon after he started in October 2023, Debellis told Civil Beat. Yagishita would punch or slap him for the smallest mistake — or no mistake at all, Debellis said.

In one instance, he says, Yagishita stabbed him with a fish skewer. Another time, Yagishita repeatedly slapped Debellis in the face when he asked for help reading a recipe written in Japanese.

“The severity of Chef Yohei’s behavior was such that it prompted intervention from a concerned colleague who reached out to Margotto’s external HR service provider, seeking to halt the relentless abuse,” the lawsuit alleged. “Despite this call to action, the Defendants displayed a flagrant neglect of their responsibilities to foster a safe and respectful workplace environment, opting for inaction over remediation — a choice that seemingly empowered Chef Yohei to persist in his abusive actions.”

“I’m not a person who dwells on my pain or emotions or whatever. I’m a person who powers through.”

Sushi chef Andrew Debellis

Debellis said in an interview that he was determined to keep working because Margotto was “the best restaurant in Hawaiʻi.”

Margotto’s $200 a person, 10-course “Grand Degustation” tasting menu includes items such as amaebi caviar cappellini, Margotto Tokyo’s signature mushroom taste, charcoal grilled eel crepe, and seaweed butter rice. A truffle burger and fries goes for $32.88.

“I’m not a person who dwells on my pain or emotions or whatever,” Debellis said. “I’m a person who powers through.”

The love of craft that drove Debellis to power through comes across when he talks about sushi: the importance of rice cooked properly, the distinct flavor of Japanese ahi due to its sardine-rich diet, “the smallest things” — and his desire to work hard over years to learn the elements of Japanese cooking at the highest level.

“What you learn easily,” he said, “you forget easily as well.”

For now, Debellis is back at work pursuing his culinary passion at another Waikīkī restaurant. As for the jury verdict, he said: “It doesn’t mean much to me. It’s not going to change much.”

This story was updated to add a comment from lawyers for Margotto owner Kazumoto Robert Hori.