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To America,
the Land He Aspired to
Ever since he was a small child, chef Hirabayashi
had a yearning to live in America. He also loved cooking
from early on, and started his culinary career in
the kitchen of a yoshoku (which literally means European
food) restaurant in Japan. The turning point of his
career came in 1992. His friend asked him if he was
interested in joining the staff that was opening a
“Sakana Restaurant” in Arizona. (Sakana
Restaurant has since expanded their business and currently
has four locations.) Back in the early 1990s, Japan
was still enjoying an economic boom, and chef Hirabayashi
was leading a carefree and prosperous life. And chef
Hirabayashi did not speak any English. |
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For these reasons, every
member of his family, as well as all his friends, objected
to the idea of his moving to the States. Yet chef Hirabayashi
still decided to come to the States over everyone’s
protests because he thought “it was a great opportunity.”
“I wanted to go to the land of my hopes. I also wanted
to see how acceptable my culinary style and craftsmanship
would be,” chef Hirabayashi says. With such thoughts
in mind, chef Hirabayashi flew to Arizona. In a totally
new and unfamiliar place, he started training all over again
as a Japanese food chef this time. |
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Tackling
New Skills in a New Cuisine
First there was the different cooking style that he
had to get used to. Japanese food requires different
cooking techniques from yoshoku. And both the ingredients
and condiments are quite different. In addition, the
place where he displayed his skills was completely
new. In Japan, chef Hirabayashi cooked back in the
kitchen. But here in America he had to be face to
face with customers while he cooked. Also, chitchatting
with customers while preparing sushi was an important
part of his job. So the language barrier was one of
the greatest obstacles for chef Hirabayashi when he
was new to this country. “I wanted to serve
something that would suit the customers’ tastes,
but I just couldn’t communicate well enough
over the counter ...” While being frustrated
with his lack of communication skills, chef Hirabayashi
also felt encouraged at times by the appreciative
smiles from customers who were happy with his creations.
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Chef Hirabayashi continued
to hone his skills as a sushi chef for four years at Sakana
Restaurant before he moved to California. Once in California,
he worked for some authentic Japanese restaurants such as
the “Koto Restaurant” or “Kappo Sui,”
where he had a chance to learn refined and sophisticated
skills from top-rated veteran chefs. Chef Hirabayashi also
kept studying English to become a better communicator. Today
he is the executive chef at Sushi of Naples. |
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Creating an Environment that Cherishes
Individuality
Once a week at Sushi of Naples, each chef presents
their own specialty dish for the others to sample.
This is an important way of creating an environment
that values individuality. The kind of dish that
reflects the personality of chef Hirabayashi is
chic and beautiful ... a feast for both the eyes
and stomach. Perhaps, a sparkling white plate is
like a blank canvas which allows him to express
his artistic creativity since he enjoys drawing.
Not only taste, but also presentation is very vital
to satisfying demanding sushi customers. “While
talking with a customer at the counter, I create
a special dinner experience just for that person.
I’m proud to be able to do that,” chef
Hirabayashi says. As he uttered these words, I could
definitely sense the confidence and pride he had
as a Japanese chef in satisfying his many customers.
The Day His Childhood Dreams Come True
When chef Hirabayashi was just a little boy, one
photograph attracted his attention. It was an advertisement
for a property in Ocean View, Hawaii. With his eyes
on the advertisement, chef Hirabayashi mistily thought
“I will live there one day.” It has
been 15 years since chef Hirabayashi came to the
States despite the objections of everyone around
him. At first, he could not understand a word his
customers were saying over the counter. But now
15 years later, he carries out conversations easily
while figuring out each customer’s personal
tastes. Depending on this assessment, chef Hirabayashi
then creates an attractive dish that pleases both
the eyes and the taste buds of each customer. It
appears that chef Hirabayashi is striving steadily
toward actualizing his childhood dream. Who knows?
The day may not be so far away when he opens a Hawaiian
branch of Sushi of Naples.
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