Nobu

September 15, 2017
An acclaimed chef and restaurateur tells the story behind his global success.Matsuhisa wanted to be a sushi chef from the time he was a young teenager. The first time he stepped into a sushi bar, he was immediately captivated by the "conversations among the customers...the sheen of sushi toppings, the aroma of sushi rice." At 17, he became a live-in apprentice sushi chef who washed dishes, delivered sushi orders, and carried fish to the restaurant from the local fish market. Matsuhisa honed his passion and personal discipline for three difficult years, and when he finally became senior chef, he discovered that what he really wanted was the freedom to experiment with new cooking ideas and taste fusions. A Japanese-Peruvian businessman then offered Matsuhisa the opportunity to become the lead chef at a new sushi restaurant in Lima. There, he incorporated local flavors into the sushi meals he made, a skill that would define his later "Nobu Style" of cuisine. When the owner demanded the focus be on profit rather than quality, the author left for another opportunity in Argentina, where he found himself underemployed and "living the life of a retiree." He then went to Alaska, where the restaurant he was supposed to work in was destroyed in a fire. Feeling suicidal over his apparent failures, he was saved by another opportunity in Los Angeles, where he eventually opened the hugely successful Matsuhisa sushi bar. One client, Robert De Niro, offered him a chance to open Nobu--the first of what would be a worldwide chain of restaurants--in New York. The secret to the appeal of this charming memoir resides in Matsuhisa's personal simplicity. Though now associated with a global brand that includes hotels, he still remains the man who seeks nothing more than to spread the spirit of omotenashi, or Japanese hospitality, and "make my guests smile." A simple, straightforward memoir sure to please both Nobu fans and Japanese cuisine lovers.

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Starred review from October 9, 2017
In this outstanding memoir, chef and restaurateur Matsuhisa tells of his rise from being a dishwasher and deliveryman to becoming synonymous with top-notch sushi and Japanese-inspired cuisine. Matsuhisa writes about how he took inspiration from master chefs as well as his culinary travels. Stints working in Alaska, Argentina, Japan, and Peru proved to be both educational and frustrating for him. Those experiences paid off when he reached Los Angeles in 1977, where he created some of his signature dishes, such as black cod with miso, and opened his first restaurant, Matsuhisa. That, in turn, led to the opening of his flagship Nobu restaurant in New York City in 1993 and, soon after, locations around the world. Unconcerned with accolades and uninterested in chest thumping—his prime motivation for running a restaurant, he says, is delighting customers—Matsuhisa focuses here on his approach to maintaining high-quality service. He offers insight into the leeway he gives to chefs at his various restaurants, how to minimize tensions when reprimanding staff, and how to promote mutual learning, not rivalry, to make his organization stronger. A passionate chef with an open mind and a big heart, Matsuhisa shares lessons in humility, gratitude, and empathy that will stick with readers long after they’ve finished the final chapter.

November 1, 2017

Perhaps no other chef has done as much to popularize and expand Japanese cuisine in the United States than Matsuhisa. This breezy memoir traces the chef's path from his apprenticeship in Japan through initial failures in Peru, Argentina, and Alaska to the establishment of his small sushi restaurant, Nobu, in Los Angeles. He also chronicles the development of Nobu with co-owner Robert DeNiro, and its subsequent expansion to more than 30 restaurants and hotels. Throughout, Matsuhisa emphasizes his dedication to hard work, perseverance, high-quality ingredients, and a focus on the customer experience. Written in short sections, the overall tone is one of wonder and gratitude. This account is less focused on depicting events from the past, a la Jacques Pepin's memoir The Apprentice; instead, is it an articulation of one chef's philosophy. VERDICT While readers won't get any recipes or preparation tips, this is an insightful peek into the mind one of the world's most successful restaurateurs.--Devon Thomas, Chelsea, MI

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