Jordan Rubin is the chef and owner of Mr. Tuna, Bar Futo, and co-owner of Crispy Gai, all located in downtown Portland, ME. Born in Massachusetts, he has nurtured a lifelong passion for Japanese cuisine that has propelled him through more than two decades in some of the top sushi bars across New England, including Boston’s famed Uni.

In 2017, he introduced Mr. Tuna to Portland. What started as a sushi food cart burgeoned into a dynamic concept, taking residence at Monument Square as Portland’s first hand roll bar while remaining prominent with three food trucks. Jordan has gained renown as an innovative entrepreneur while cementing the brand of his first business in the Portland hospitality community.

In 2021, Jordan, chef-partner Cyle Reynolds, and partner Sasha Brouillard opened Crispy Gai, a Thai-influenced restaurant and cocktail bar that quickly developed a reputation as much for its food as for its philanthropic arm, sharing a portion of monthly sales with a rotating array of community-driven nonprofits and offering free hot meals on holidays.

With Bar Futo, opened in December 2022, Jordan pays homage to a new facet of Japanese cuisine, rooted in binchotan-fired cooking, yakitori-style skewers, and kakigori (Japanese shaved ice), all served in a communal and celebratory atmosphere. Through all of his ventures, he has forged relationships with a vast network of Portland growers and fishers, taking special care to source wild-caught whole fish as part of his holistic approach to sustainability.