Oral history interview with Kaku Makino and Masako "Julie" Ishitsuka conducted by Kristel Peralta, Vanessa Concepcion, Ayrton Yamaguchi, and Stefani Evans on March 22, 2021 for the Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Makino discusses his early life in Tokyo, Japan and becoming a chef. He recalls arriving to the United States in 1989, establishing the Todai (now Makino Sushi & Seafood Buffet) restaurant chain, and opening nineteen locations in California, Florida, and in Hawaii. Kano talks about her upbringing in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, Japan and describes Japan during the Meiji era. She remembers arriving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2000 and the cultural change she experienced. Lastly, Makino and Kano discuss the restaurant industry during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Oscar Goodman was born June 26, 1939 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He earned his undergraduate degree from Haverford College in 1961 and his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1964. That same year, he moved to Las Vegas, Nevada and in 1965 he was admitted to the Nevada State Bar. He served as Clark County’s chief deputy public defender from 1966 to 1967.
Taken from her obituary on Las Vegas Review Journals' site: "NAOMI CHERRY Naomi Cherry, of Las Vegas, passed away Feb. 21, 2014, after a long and joyful life. She was 89 years of age and a beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She leaves behind a devoted family and wonderful friends gathered over a lifetime. Born Dec. 1, 1924, in St. Louis, to parents, Abe and Jenny (nee Pollock) Barg, she was the eldest of five siblings, loved to dance and graduated from Soldan High School.
The Harmon family was one of the early settlers of Las Vegas, Nevada. Since the early 1900s, the Harmon family has been invovled with Las Vegas's political and business development.
Jimmy Mulidore grew up very poor in a predominantly Italian town in Youngstown, Ohio. His father and grandfather both worked for Youngstown Sheet and Tool steel mill. However, Mulidore’s father was against his son working at the mill, instead buying him a saxophone between the ages of 8-10 years old. Determined to chart a different course for his son, Mulidore’s father urged him to learn how to play the saxophone and added, if he did, he would not end up in the steel mill. Adhering to his father’s request, he started lessons with Albert Calderon.