A taste is not created, but born

Cultural News, 2010 October Issue

Andy Matsuda’s Sushi School /Cutting board talk

By Chef Andy Matsuda

When I took three graduates of our school on a field trip to Japan this summer, I realized that all three graduates tried to recreate dishes that they had seen in the past. The visual presentation is one of the most important essences of Japanese cuisine. But a taste is not created by a visual presentation.

A taste comes from the ingredients that a chef chooses for his recipe.  The secret of Japanese culinary technique is to learn about the real tastes of foods before you add any flavors. The more you know about the tastes of each food, the more you can create flavorful dishes.

From November 4 through November 6 at St. Helena in Napa Valley, Northern California, there will be a big Japanese cuisine event. Under the theme of “Japan: Flavors of Culture,” more than 60 leading chefs and other experts on Japanese cuisine will gather at the Worlds of Flavor Conference sponsored by the Culinary Institute of America.  C.I.A., as I call this school, is one of the best professional chef training schools in the U.S.

(The article on the Worlds of Flavor Conference is printed in the October issue)

I will participate in this conference as a volunteer to help chefs and experts from Japan.

My sushi demonstration at the public libraries are becoming very popular. I am receiving requests for sushi demonstrations from following libraries:

Oct 20, 5 pm at El Monte Library, 3224 Tyler Ave, El Monte, CA 91731, (626) 444-9506;

Nov 13, 1 pm at West Covina Library, 1601 West Covina Parkway, West Covina, CA 91790, (626) 962-3541;

Nov 27, 1 pm at Compton Library, 240 West Compton Blvd, Compton, CA 90220, (310) 637-0202;

Dec 4, 2 pm at Lennox Library; Dec 11, 1 pm at Graham Library;

Jan 22, 1 pm at Hollydale Library; Feb 26, 1 pm at La Canada Flintridge Library; Mar 26, 1 pm at Norwalk Library;

Apr 30, 1 pm at San Gabriel Library; May 7, 1 pm at San Fernando Library; May 21, 1 pm at Willowbrook Library; and May 28, 2 pm at Carson Regional Library.

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.