Field trip to Japan for learning sushi

Cultural News, 2010 August Issue

Andy Matsuda’s Sushi School /Cutting board talk

By Chef Andy Matsuda

After the current Professional Class wraps up in the middle of August, I will take three graduates on a field trip to Japan for one week. We will visit the Osaka Central Fish market and another big fish market in Kobe.  And we have hands-on training at a Kappo-style restaurant in my hometown, Nishiwaki, in the Hyogo prefecture.

Japanese recipes introduced in the U.S. are just the tip of the iceberg. Sushi chef training at our school nourishes novices to become professionals.  A few years after their graduation, some alumni become eager to visit Japan and learn the profession by working in Japanese kitchens. This will be the third Sushi School Institute field trip to Japan. The three graduates are from Long Beach, Houston, and the Bahama Islands. All of them have plenty of experience in professional kitchens. A field trip to Japan may motivate them to learn Japanese cuisine at deeper levels.

Here is my schedule of activities outside of school for August and September.

August 7 (Saturday) 7:00 – 10:00 PM: Evening Under the Stars – 24th Annual Gourmet Food and Wine Festival on the grounds of American Honda Motor in Torrance. This is a benefit event for Torrance Memorial Medical Center. Along with other major restaurants of Southern California and their dishes, we will serve sushi and fusion appetizers for over 1,000 guests. Tickets can be purchased at www.torrancememorial.org

August 12 (Thursday) 6:30 PM: Sushi with the Master class at Sur La Table at the Original Farmer’s Market, Los Angeles, CA 90036. Hands-on. $89. For registration, call (323) 954-0121 or email Cooking027@surlatable.com

August 14 (Saturday) 2:00 PM: Sushi Demonstration at Rowland Heights Library, 1850 Nogales Street, Rowland Heights CA 91748, (626) 912-5348.

September 11 (Saturday) 1:00 PM: Sushi Demonstration at Temple City Library, 5939 Golden West Avenue, Temple City CA 91780, (626) 285-2136.

September 18 (Saturday) 2:30 PM: Sushi Demonstration at Hermosa Beach Library, 550 Pier Avenue, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254, (310) 379-8475.

September 20 (Monday) 6:30  PM: Sushi 101 class at Sur La Table at the Original Farmer’s Market, Los Angeles, CA 90036. Hands-on. $79. For registration, call (323) 954-0121 or email Cooking027@surlatable.com

September 25 (Saturday) 2:00 PM: Diamond Bar Library, 1061 South Grand Avenue, Diamond Bar, CA 91765, (909) 861-4978.

Andy Matsuda is the founder and the chief instructor of Sushi Chef Institute in Los Angeles. For more information, visit www.sushischool.net or www.facebook.com/andy.matsuda.