Chef Nobu, Mr. Nice Guy
Nobu Matsuhisa regales Manila fans with specially prepared signature dishes and motivational stories
Nobu Matsuhisa regales Manila fans with specially prepared signature dishes and motivational stories
One of the most successful chefs in the world is also the nicest guy in the highly competitive restaurant business. Chef
Nobu Matsuhisa, head of a food empire that spans five continents, was in Manila on Black Saturday in the course of a regular tour of his restaurants. For hours, Chef Nobu tirelessly signed copies of his new book and exchanged pleasantries, answered food bloggers’ questions, and gamely posed for photographs.
The smile on his face radiated with genuine interest in the people around him. His eyes twinkled with kindness. No wonder he does not have the flamboyant reputation of celebrity chefs Gordon Ramsay and Anthony Bourdain.
We joined hundreds of his avid fans (many cancelled out-of-town trips) to meet him and indulge in his creations—signature dishes that have shaped the world’s perception of Japanese fusion. There were hot and cold small plates including nouveau-Japanese creations like toro with jalapeño salsa, sashimi with yuzu sauce, and little “Nobu tacos” stuffed with tuna tartare, chicken, or beef with vegetables and salsa verde.
Naturally, we had multiple servings of dishes Nobu pioneered in the US that have long-since trickled down to familiarity in many restaurants, such as misomarinated black cod. NO COMPROMISE
Each dish was but a bite, giving the diner time and opportunity to linger and savor the texture, taste, and most of all, the freshness of each morsel.
A penchant for freshness drove him from the first time he stepped into a sushi shop as a young boy, when frozen fish was commonly used for sushi. That early, he knew he wanted to be a sushi chef in a restaurant where he could create his own menu.
It took more than 30 years of experimentation, failure, and incompatible business partners to reach his goal, as he worked his way from dishwasher to co-owner (with awardwinning actor Robert de Niro) of dozens of restaurants around the world. The Nobu restaurant in Washington took nearly two years and more than $10 million—one of the most expensive for a Washington restaurant—before it was ready for its debut. It is now established with a high profile celebrity following. ONE BIG FAMILY
Staff in all Nobu restaurants look up to him like an uncle. He developed this relationship through years of working up the ladder, as he narrated in a recently published interview.
“For three years I washed and cleared dishes and cleaned the entire restaurant. I also went to the fish market every morning with the master of the restaurant. I carried the basket, and back at the restaurant I would clean the fish. After three years one of the sushi chefs left and the master promoted me to fill his spot.”
“The days were long. But whenever I got fed up, I would remember why I chose the job in the first place: I wanted to prepare sushi for customers and make them happy. Also, doing all those jobs—dishwasher, busboy, and so forth—made me tough, and today I am able to empathize with my workers.” OVERCOMING SETBACKS
The lowest point of his life was when his restaurant in Alaska burned to the ground, driving him to bankruptcy. “We had no insurance and I had no means of repaying my loan. I was devastated.”
That was the lowest point of his life and he thought only about ending his life. “But every day, when I returned home, my children were happy to see their father. At age three and one and a half, all they wanted to do was play. I can say today that my family and the laughter of my children saved me.” ADVICE TO ASPIRING CHEFS
Chef Nobu shares some lessons he lives by.
1. The best lesson I have learned is to take one step at a time in business. You cannot skip steps because that means missing out on experience.
2. Try to do your best, live your life with passion, and don’t forget to appreciate what you have.
‘Try to do your best, live your life with passion, and don’t forget to appreciate what you have.’