Documentary about sushi chef in NYC will make you laugh, cry, suddenly want to eat lots of sushi

Sukibayashi Jiro is probably the most well-known sushi restaurant in the world, thanks to the popular documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi. In it we see the passion and hard work of Jiro, the restaurant’s owner, in his constant quest to create the perfect sushi for his customers.

But Jiro isn’t the only one who is passionate about sushi. YouTube channel Munchies recently put out a great short documentary about a sushi chef closer to home for many of us: Toshio Oguma in New York City. Be forewarned though: after watching, you may feel an intense urge to immediately purchase a bus or plane ticket to get to Manhattan as quickly as possible for a taste of what he and his apprentices are serving up.

The title of the documentary is The Sushi Chef: Oona Tempest and Toshio Oguma. In it, we learn the story of Toshio, the head chef, who through a series of happy accidents went from experiencing a sushi epiphany for the first time as a child in Japan, to spending years learning the craft himself, to finally winding up in New York City in one of the most innocuous ways imaginable.

You can watch the entire 15-minute documentary here, with some highlights below:

▼ A picture of the outside of the restaurant, named “Tanoshi” (meaning “fun” in Japanese).

▼ The restaurant owner, King Ang from Hong Kong, wanted to bring authentic sushi to Manhattan, so he did what any of us would do: put an ad on Craigslist for a sushi master with at least 15 years experience. Little did he know how that would turn out….

▼ Then we meet the chef, Toshio Oguma. He first tasted sushi at age 12, realized that was what he wanted to devote his life to, and apprenticed in Tokyo at age 17. He moved to the U.S. in 1980 to help a friend open up a sushi restaurant. He was only supposed to stay for two years then go back, but then he met the woman who would go on to become his wife.

▼ His wife was as passionate about ballet as Toshio was about sushi, and the two of them bonded over their devotion to always improving. And we’re guessing Toshio’s sexy mustache didn’t hurt either.

▼ Toshio and his wife lived in California for years, but he didn’t enjoy working in the sushi restaurants there. They were too big for him, getting out of control with “sprinkling gold flakes on sushi.” He wanted to bring sushi back to its basic, uncomplicated roots.

▼ And that’s when King Ang got a reply to his one-in-a-million Craigslist ad. Toshio moved to New York, and the two of them opened up Tanoshi Sushi together. Oh Craigslist, is there anything you can’t do?

▼ Next we meet Toshio’s apprentice, Oona Tempest.

▼ She originally wanted to be an artist, focusing on illustrating fish for textbooks. But now she’s moved on to cooking the fish instead.

▼ Oona tells us that it wasn’t necessarily the taste of sushi that got her so entranced, but rather the feeling and texture of the rice, fish, and everything else that comes together to make a perfect bite-size piece of bliss.

▼ She also tells us she lost her father at a young age, and feels like she’s getting that father-daughter experience with Toshio that she never had.

▼ That father-daughter experience which, of course, includes being yelled at when you’ve messed up.

▼ But hey, enough of that! Let’s get to what you really came here for: pics of delicious sushi.

▼ Do I have to eat it? Can’t I take it home and frame it instead?

▼ I feel like this is more of a sculpture than anything I should be putting in my mouth.

▼ Look at all these happy people eating Toshio and Oona’s sushi. Why aren’t you there, being happy with them? Why?

If you haven’t watched the full video yet, then I highly recommend doing so. It’s quite short and flies right by. Toshio, Oona, and everyone else will suck you into their wonderful world of sushi, and you may never want to leave.

Source: YouTube (Munchies) via Donguriko
Screenshots: YouTube (Munchies)

Origin: Documentary about sushi chef in NYC will make you laugh, cry, suddenly want to eat lots of sushi
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