MJCA has welcomed many students with years of experience as a sushi chef. This includes Bobby, who has worked as a sushi chef for many years. Hoping to acquaint himself with the finest in the art of sushi, he took on our Sushi Masterclass -Foundation- Course.
Meet Bobby from Norway
What is your background?
I have over 15 years of experience as a sushi chef in various countries. In those years, I worked as a head chef and developed my culinary skills in upscale restaurants. Now that I have settled in Norway, I am pursuing my sushi chef career further.
The landscape of the sushi world in Norway is different from the Japanese style. The sushi business in Norway is takeaway-oriented, and the form of sushi is “American” style. My goal is to become a chef who can serve sushi in Japanese fashion and, in the future, call myself an omakase chef. Ultimately, I want to open my own omakase restaurant that serves good-quality sushi at a reasonable price.
Note from the editor:
While editing this blog article, we got great news from Bobby! His message goes, “Hi, guys! My omakase journey has begun. An affordable omakase bar with 8 seats will be finished in a few months. And it will be the first Omakase in Bergen, Norway!” We truly admire his passion for continuously moving forward and are happy that we could support his exciting journey!
The Struggles
What challenges did you encounter before taking the course?
Even though I had been a chef for a while, I had never had mentors to get proper sushi training. Since I taught myself the techniques, I often wondered if my techniques were accurate and what I could do to improve them.
I am also looking to compete in a global sushi chef competition eventually. To take my skills to the next level, I sought an opportunity to have a mentor. That is when I found the Master of Japanese Cuisine Academy.
Working with MJCA
What was your takeaway from the course?
One of the discoveries was to understand the differences between the Japanese style and the American/Norwegian style. For instance, the Japanese style requires a fish-slicing method called “koba-gaeshi,” a curing method, detailed hand motions, a different way to handle fish, etc. But more importantly, learning how to prepare rice gave me a significant advantage as a sushi chef.
Despite years of working experience as a sushi chef, I felt I was missing crucial knowledge about the traditional style of sushi and Japanese cuisine. And even if you are a sushi chef, such knowledge is difficult to learn in Norway. The course has helped me understand the basic knowledge I had been looking for to transition into a more traditional style of sushi making.
What are your impressions of live sessions with a master chef?
Learning directly from my mentor enabled me to discover my bad habits. That helped me realize what I was doing right and wrong. I will not forget his compliments regarding my skills, business acumen, and enthusiasm. Encouraged by these compliments, I will continue brushing up on my sushi skills.
I am interested in continuing my journey with Sushi Masterclass -Advanced- Course and Sashimi Masterclass Course. Also, as an instructor myself, I highly recommend the academy to my students.
Try It Yourself
Although self-taught skills and knowledge are somewhat beneficial, you will eventually hit a wall in your growth process. If you are experiencing such challenges, our courses can be a breakthrough to help you become the chef you want to be.
Do you have any questions? You can catch some content with our free trial course on our website. Alternatively, we are happy to answer your questions during a free consultation! You can schedule it from here.
For those interested in extensive Japanese cuisine, our Grand Membership Plus plan is an ideal step. The plan covers all lessons currently available and most future lessons, including the Sushi Masterclass and Sashimi Masterclass (No certificates or live sessions will be provided in the Grand Membership Plus plan. ) Now is the time to take the first step toward achieving your dreams like Bobby did!
