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My Story: From Raw Novitiate to Seasoned Sushi Chef

In my early twenties, I was fortunate enough to own and operate a restaurant, catering business, and coffee shop in my hometown of Starkville, Mississippi. It was a magical time in my life. I had finally settled on a career in food despite having considered making my living as a civil engineer, competitive body builder, draftsman, and firefighter. Food and particularly entertaining were my true passion so I gave up the wild notions of youth to bake. While my businesses contained a multitude of services, my dream was to be the South’s premiere cake decorator. But that was not to be.

I can recall that fateful day when orthodontist Cooper Calloway entered The Chocolate Giraffe and asked to reserve the space one night for an office party. I smiled and nodded at his request for sushi as the special treat of the night. Of course we would be happy to provide it! And as he walked away, my smile melted into blank, cold dread. And my employees reflected what I was thinking. I had just promised to prepare something that I had never seen, tasted or experienced in my entire life! Starkville had yet to have a single sushi bar and the nearest one was hours away. What had I just gotten myself into? I calmed my nerves and decided after pouring over all of the sushi books I could find that if we could stick with “the cooked stuff ” that we’d be all right. I’d just make it through this one party and use this as a lesson to keep my invincible spirit in check for the future.

Did I mention that Starkville is a small town? Somehow, word spread that The Chocolate Giraffe was serving sushi the night of Cooper’s party. The phone rang off the hook and people stopped by all afternoon leaving slips of paper with a number where they could be reached in the event that we were able to prepare any extra sushi. I couldn’t believe the interest, especially as it continued on for days. Once again, I spoke too soon and promised that we would host a sushi night the start of the next semester. It was not forgotten and I was forced to keep that promise despite the difficulty of not having a local source to purchase any sushi products. My staff and I spent an incredible amount of time and energy researching methods for cold smoking salmon, making our own red pepper powder (togarashi), and perfecting our stovetop rice method. (J Rob, thank you for finding the perfect number of cans and bricks to weight down the lid!) We were the talk of the town with our pickled okra, smoked duck, crawfish, and other types of creative sushi based on readily accesible ingredients. And somewhere in the process, I fell head over heels in love with this cuisine. I had to know more.

I decided to close the business and explore other avenues. In the back of my mind, I wanted to find a way to go to The California Sushi Academy. It was exactly what I was looking for to continue my sushi education. But I was a little surprised at the reception of my plan from well meaning family and friends. Could a female, especially a black one, even get a job as a sushi chef? In my mind, the answer was an obvious yes. So my invincible, youthful spirit prompted me to get a one-way Greyhound ticket to LA with no living arrangements, no backup plan, and a little less than $300 in my pocket. I was going to become a sushi chef!

Sushi school was yet another magical time in my life. I soaked up every bit of information available to me. I placed my cutting board as close to Sensei as I could get everyday, I took meticulous notes and studied them intently. I went on as many allowed intern opportunities as I could. And in the end, I can’t think of a single way that I could have maximized my sushi education short of taking the course again. Unfortunately, LA was not the place for a broke, homesick Mississippi girl so I moved to Memphis and began my sushi career working as the sushi chef of a small, lounge style sushi bar. From there I branched out on my own and helped restaurants train sushi staffs, created custom sushi menus, taught private, in home sushi classes, and catered sushi for kosher events.

I hold a special place in my heart for the first sushi I created at The Chocolate Giraffe and those wanting to make sushi in the comfort of their own home kitchen. I didn’t have many special tools or a large operating budget back then and when you’re just getting started, there is no need to spend hundreds of dollars purchasing sushi specific equipment. Access to the more common sushi ingredients were non-existent for me but with a little Internet shopping and resourcefulness, you won’t miss a beat. If I can do it, so can you! You can create stunning sushi at home.

The focus of this book is not to present sushi recipes that are authentic in the sense of making rigid decisions about “must have” seafood and ingredients. In fact, that goes against the very spirit of Japanese cuisine. Instead, creative sushi recipes are presented that use a gamut of ingredients and seafood that can be found locally. There are also recipes included that keep the more traditional palate in mind. What you may notice what is missing is the suggested use of certain seafood such as hamachi, bluefin tuna, and freshwater eel. Making sure to use ocean-friendly seafood species that are plentiful and sustainably caught is a must, even when making sushi at home. This will ensure that sushi lovers for years to come will have plentiful seafood options.

I hope that you will use these recipes and methods as a muse to fuel your own creativity. In keeping with the age old tradition of using what is very fresh and what is regional, I hope to inspire you to open your mind and your palate, experimenting with items from your region. Have fun!

Happy Sushi!

Marisa Baggett

author of Sushi Secrets