Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan is a guy with lots of irons in the fire. He’s adding one more, as the iconic heavy metal singer is opening a sushi restaurant.
On September 4, 2026, Keenan will open Queen B Sushi at 816 N. Main St. in Old Town Cottonwood, Arizona. And they’re already taking reservations. Queen B Sushi is led by Culinary Director Chef Brett Vibber, who previously led Roka Akor’s London, Hong Kong, and United States locations.
Vibber’s Queen B Sushi team includes Chef Chuhiro “Thomas” Kato, who trained under Nobu Matsuhisa in Beverly Hills and Masaharu Morimoto in New York. The team also features Chef Sheridan “Sher” Chase. Chef Sher is an Arizona native who’s worked in kitchens all over the U.S. Southwest.
Keenan has a top-notch sushi team running his new venture
“Although I’ve been enjoying sushi since my days in Boston, circa 1987, my first Japanese tour wasn’t until 2000 with A Perfect Circle,” Keenan said in a press release statement. “It was an eye-opening and mind-blowing experience. While there, I picked up these amazing titanium-and-hardwood travel chopsticks from Snow Peak. And I’ve carried them with me ever since.”
“Last year I ran into Janeane Garofalo at the Chelsea in NYC,” he continued. “She was saying to David Cross and Dave Hill, ‘I haven’t seen Maynard in several years, but one thing I remember is that he used to carry chopsticks in his pocket.’ At which point I reached into my pocket and pulled them out. Twenty-five years I’ve been carrying these chopsticks. That’s how much I love sushi.”
The concept of Queen B Sushi is said to have begun by accident. Keenan and his wife, Jennifer Keenan, previously considered a full sushi program for one of their other businesses: Queen B Vinyl Café. However, while developing the cafe menu, they shelved the sushi plan. The couple presumed they would not be able to find a fitting chef in the small town. Vibber, who was already on their staff, ended up being the man for the job.
Keenan also runs a vineyard and café in Arizona
As noted, Queen B Sushi is the next in a line of businesses that Keenan has established in Arizona’s Verde Valley. He started with the Caduceus Cellars Tasting Room in Jerome. The list has since grown to include the Merkin Vineyards Hilltop Winery & Trattoria and Caduceus Cellars Hilltop Facility, a seven-acre complex on the site of Cottonwood’s former Masonic Lodge.
In 2024, he and Jennifer expanded Queen B Vinyl Café to include a café and coffee roaster. Today, it’s Northern Arizona’s exclusive Record Store Day location and an artist-friendly venue.
Notably, Queen B Sushi will pour a rotating selection of Caduceus Cellars and Merkin Vineyards wines.
Photo by Lindsay Brice/Getty Images
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