Tobin Aroner (Proprietor, Owner)

Tobins passion for IZA stems from being born into the restaurant business. His parents owned a Japanese restaurant in the 1970s and later they went on to open a steak and seafood restaurant in the 1980s, both being in the San Francisco Bay Area. Tobin was immersed in all the day to day operations from a young age.Experience in cooking, prep, bartending, hosting, serving, provided a wealth of experience which has been a foundation for IZA.

While attending University of Montana, Tobin continued his love for the food business. He worked in the same location of IZA when it was Second Thought Bakery and Cafe. After receiving his diploma in Business Administration/Marketing from the University of Montana, Tobin traveled to Thailand and Sri Lanka. Soon after, he took a job in Japan as a corporate English instructor for 3 years. His experience living in Nagoya, Nagano, and Komagane helped build the IZA vision.

His Japanese family background (mother and wife are Japanese), passion for Asian foods, experience with two family restaurants, and living in Japan have helped build the foundation for Iza.

As Tobin puts it, We are doing this strictly for our Missoula Community, we need an authentic place that cares about real food and real ingredients. What would you like to see at IZA?

Emi Matsuoka (Interior Designer, Web Designer)

Emi Matsuoka was born in Japan in 1971. She graduated from Tokyo Zokei University where she studied Design Management. She was a textile designer and a web designer in Nagoya for a total of five years.

In the Fall of 2007, Emi started to help Tobin with ideas for the restaurant design. Originally, Emi thought it would be very nice to have a Japanese izakaya in Missoula because it's so unique. It would be cozy and they would serve a great variety of food and drinks. The restaurant name, Iza, comes from the word izakaya. Emi designed Iza's logo and almost all of the interior. She enjoyed helping with much of the building and construction. Emi appreciats her God and all the volunteers that came to help with Iza.