Enhance Your Culinary Skills at Sushi School

The ultimate course in all things sushi and Japanese cuisine (Washoku) has come to London. Last Monday saw a fantastic pre-launch event, held at London’s So Japanese Restaurant in Spitalfields.

Over forty chefs attended the special Sushi & Washoku demonstration and tasting and really enjoyed watching demonstration chefs Yoshihiko Shida and Kaoru Yamamoto.

The chefs were very impressed with the skill and expertise of Yoshihiko and Kaoru and loved listening to Sushi School Principal, Masaru Watanabe as he hosted the event and talked the chefs through the various course options on offer.

We caught up with Masaru on the day to get further details on the school and courses available in this short Q&A:

The art of sushi and sashimi is a long apprenticeship in Japan. How will the course break down the necessary skills you need to learn to become a master?

We teach how to cook Japanese authentic cuisine systematically and efficiently. Students will learn Japanese knife skills, traditional recipes, authentic tastes and cultural background including some Japanese language.

Who do you expect to sign up for the courses?

We believe there are two major demands of our college. First are young future chefs who will learn basic Japanese cooking skills. Second are food industry demands. This suits current chefs who want to switch their careers to Japanese cuisines and businesses that need some Japanese training.

Who will be supplying the ingredients?

Some of special ingredients must be from Japan. However, most of ingredients are from local suppliers. Most of our graduates will use the local suppliers after completing our study. They need to learn where and how they will get the appropriate ingredients.

There is an optional opportunity to buy a knife set as part of the courses. Who will those be supplied by?

We have good support from Japanese wholesalers regarding uniforms, dishes, and many utensils. For the Japanese knives we use the Japanese Knife Company based in London

How much is knife skill a part of the courses?

To begin knife skills will be taught extensively. However, knife skills are required in every cooking lesson. All students must learn how to use Japanese knives in all cooking classes. We strongly recommend students to have self-training of knife skills at home.

Is the teaching based on traditional Japanese skills?

We start with traditional Japanese skills. For example, we teach how to cook authentic Japanese rice with traditional clay pot so students get an idea of the correct flavours. After that students can translate what they have learnt to modern equipment like rice cookers. However, it’s really important to master the basic skills first.

How will graduates be able to use their certificates?

We are the private institution and our certificate is not an official qualification. It’s a kind of warranty to prove that our students did learn authentic Japanese cooking under Japanese government authorised organisation control.

How will you be extending the courses in the future?

In our Tokyo HQ college (Tokyo College of Sushi and Washoku London), there are 2 years and 3 years full time courses focusing only to Japanese cuisine and food culture. We have a lot more that we want to teach, and introduce, outside Japan. Once we have a certain number of basic course graduates, we will develop higher and deeper course programs in the future.

Any chefs interested in taking a course at the Tokyo College of Sushi and Washoku London will have another chance to attend a second pre-launch event, also being held at So Japanese restaurant in Spitalfields on the 22^nd of July.

If this is you, please contact Brogen@redcherry.uk.com to secure your place and register your interest with the Tokyo College of Sushi and Washoku London