SUSHI WORKSHOP for professionals

Eat-Japan’s intensive one-day sushi workshop, which this year featured a choice between a Creative Recipe Course and an Authentic Skills Course, was an unmitigated success with British chefs.

Date: Sunday 21 October 2007
Time: 10:00-18:00
Venue: Ealing, Hammersmith & West London College,
Gliddon Road, London W14 9BL MAP
Participants: Authentic Recipe Course – 23 people
Creative Recipe Course – 17 people

Event Overview

A chance to experience true craftmanship and taste the world's best sushi!

Professional chefs from all over Britain leapt at the chance to learn authentic sushi and Japanese cookery techniques from past and present members of the Seven Sushi Samurai and sushi masters from around the world at Eat-Japan’s exclusive London workshop.　The event opened with a sushi lecture from Vice Director of the All Japan Sushi Association International Division, Masayoshi Kazato, and a tasting session of sushi made on site by the sushi masters in attendance, before splitting up into the two groups in order to take the respective courses. Here we give a brief summary of the invaluable knowledge imparted to the participants of each workshop.

Course 1: AUTHENTIC SKILLS COURSE

Course overview

This course offered students a firm grounding in the essential techniques of sushi making, as honed over the centuries in Japan. The students were split up into small groups, each supervised by an experienced sushi chef, in order to practice the techniques discussed and demonstrated by the course’s main tutor, Masayoshi Kazato. Topics covered included knives and sharpening stones, the preparation of fish and sushi rice, the methods of cutting fish for sushi and sashimi, making various kinds of sushi, and arrangement and presentation.

Course 2: Creative Recipe Course

Course overview

The course was aimed at those who wish to experiment with new and innovative ideas. Led by two of the world’s top chefs, Mandarin Oriental Tokyo’s Jeff Ramsey and UMU’s Ichiro Kubota, the workshop combined lecture, demonstration and hands on group-work in order to show students how to give a fresh, original slant to their work. Experts in sushi and other aspects of Japanese cuisine were on hand to help with technique and offer advice as to how to incorporate Japanese dishes into a wider, modern menu.

Jeff Ramsey

Jeff's half of the course comprised a dynamic lecture on the history of sushi, a step-by-step demonstration and tasting of his incredible Electric Eel sushi, winner of Eat-Japan’s Sushi of the Year Award 2007, as well as other tricks and techniques, and an inventive group-work session with the students.

Ichiro Kubota

Kubota showed the students some techniques from traditional Kyoto-style kaiseki cuisine, including intricate eel sasazushi parcels wrapped up in bamboo leaf, and a demonstration of his own original creation, wagyu tempura.

This was followed by a reception to round off a hard day, where tutors and students could relax and talk over the day's events while enjoying the complimentary Asahi beer and the huge feast of the handiwork made throughout the day, from both the Creative Recipe and the Authentic Skills Courses. Once again, there was the opportunity for the workshop participants to watch, learn and of course sample as reputed sushi chefs demonstrated the sushi-making process as it should properly be done.

Main tutors

Masayoshi Kazato
Lecturer and Main Tutor at the Authentic Skills course
Head Chef of Sakaezushi
Vice Director of the All Japan Sushi Association International Division.

“I think everyone did their best; they were really keen. It' s important to remember at these kind of workshops, though, that its more important to master the core skills perfectly than rushing ahead to the next thing.”

Jeff Ramsey
Main tutor of the Creative Course
Head Chef at the Tapas Molecular Bar, Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo

“I was really overwhelmed by how good everyone was. Everyone learned a great deal, and had a great time doing it.”

Ichiro Kubota
Main tutor of the Creative Course
Head Chef at UMU, London

“It was a very unique workshop indeed. Two completely different styles of Japanese cuisine were shown by me and Jeff, but they proved very complimentary to one another. I was also really impressed by the enthusiasm of the students.