I didn’t start out to be a sushi chef, even when I began my training as a Japanese chef – I even thought that making sushi was probably quite easy. Recently, however, I think I’ve come to understand the significance of sushi, and its endless possibilities.

I don’t really think about how my sushi might go down in Japan; at the heart of my approach is an interest in the global reaction to my sushi. America, where I live now, is home to much diversity. My customers are from different backgrounds, ethnic groups, culinary traditions. I want to create sushi that anyone, from anywhere, can enjoy. I don’t want to be bound by rules, or be told that I’ve got to do things the way they’re done in Japan. This is something I’ve learnt by living in the USA.

At Sushi Ran we use 300 different types of fish, sourced from Japan and elsewhere. Japan is rich in white fish, so you often find freshly sliced, white fish in restaurants, but I like to include techniques I learned from traditional Japanese culinary training – smoking, infusing with herbs, marinating… but it’s not fusion. It’s my own personal style .