Makoto Okuwa
MORIMOTO | New York
Biography
Morimoto Chef Makoto Okuwa began his culinary career
at the age of 15 working in sushi restaurants in Japan. He relocated
to the United States to work at the acclaimed Sushi Taro
in Washington, D.C. He was recruited to work at Morimoto
in Philadelphia and has held the top Sushi Chef position for the
past year. When Chef Morimoto opened up his second eponymous restaurant
in New York's Meatpacking District, he brought Okuwa along to oversee
the new restaurant's sushi menu. Okuwa's creations combine elements
of traditional Japanese sushi-making with ingredients, flavor combinations
and presentations that appeal to the sophisticated, contemporary
American palate.
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Interview
Cont'd
AB: Did you attend culinary
school?
MO: No, I didn’t go to
school. I do recommend school to broaden your knowledge. I hire
both cooks with and without culinary school backgrounds.
AB: Who are your
mentors? What are some of the most important things you’ve
learned from them?
MO: Of course Chef Morimoto
is a mentor for me—not just the cooking. It’s more about
how to read the customer and what’s going to make him appreciate
your food. I learned a lot about presentation from Chef Omai.
AB: What is your
philosophy on food and dining?
MO: I think looks are very
important, but taste is more important. I want to make my customers
feel warm, in a way.
AB: Are there
any secret ingredients that you especially like? Why?
MO: I like nitrogen, basil
seeds, and shooters, which people usually use in desserts, but which
I like to use in savory.
AB: What flavor
combinations do you favor?
MO: I like to use dried scallops
and dried shrimp juice to make sauces and gelees.
AB: What is your
most indispensable kitchen tool?
MO: My Nenox knife, which is
made of great material and looks good too, though it’s very
expensive.
AB: Is there
a culinary technique that you have either created or use in an unusual
way?
MO: I make stocks the traditional
Japanese way, like a dashi. I take seaweed, dried bonito flakes,
and I’m very careful about how I extract the flavor. For example,
I experiment with how long I leave in the seaweed before taking
it out, to get the best flavor.
AB: What is your
favorite question to ask during an interview for a potential new
line cook?
MO: How long have you worked
with sushi? And, what do you want to learn here?
AB: What tips
would you offer a young cook just getting started?
MO: Focus on the fundamentals,
not just understanding superficial things. Try to grasp the essence
of what you’re doing.
AB: What are
your favorite cookbooks?
MO: Senmon Yuri’s Japanese
Cooking Magazine contains a lot of new information, techniques,
and trends. And Keep It Simple by Alfred Portale has a lot of great
techniques too, and style. He knows how to make the ingredients
come alive.
AB: What cities
do you like for culinary travel?
MO: I like to go to Spain to
see new techniques and flavors, and I really want to go to England
to eat at The Fat Duck.
AB: What are
your favorite restaurants in your city?
MO: Wakamaru has really good
sushi. And this noodle bar in St. Mark’s called Momofuku.
AB: What trends
do you see emerging in the restaurant industry now?
MO: The Spanish influence is
growing very quickly: new techniques as well as tapas portions.
AB: Where do
you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years?
MO: I’d like to own my
own restaurant.
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