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Sushi on a roll with opening of new Japanese culinary school+
Sep 4 02:52 AM US/Eastern
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LOS ANGELES, Sept. 4 (AP) - (Kyodo)—Los Angeles welcomed a new addition to its Japanese culinary repertoire with the opening of the Sushi Institute of America, a professional school that offers intensive, comprehensive courses in Japanese food preparation with some of the best chefs in the field.

Co-founded by Noritoshi Kanai, president of Mutual Trading Company, and Katsuya Uechi, famed owner and executive chef of Katsuya restaurants, SIA was created to feed a growing need for skilled sushi chefs in Japanese restaurants in the United States.

Kanai, who is also known for introducing Edomae sushi to Los Angeles in the mid-1960s, explained the mission of SIA.

"It is our hope to pass on to the next generation of aspiring chefs the true form of culinary art and philosophy that Japanese sushi imported," he said during the opening ceremony on Wednesday.

"Our vision is that sushi's great culinary tradition may reach all over the world for people to enjoy through the skilled hands of our future graduating chefs."

Uechi, who will act as head of school and executive instructor, is a graduate of Osaka's famous Tsuji Culinary Institute.

"I want to help students find the joy of making sushi and cooking," he said at the opening, promising to create a gratifying learning environment for career chefs and amateur cooks alike.

The opening of the sushi school coincides with both the increasing popularity of Japanese food and concern about the quality of cuisine found in so-called "Japanese" restaurants.

With an emphasis on promoting sushi-making as an "art" form, the co- founders hope to maintain the integrity of the profession as it exists in the United States while increasing the number of expert sushi chefs available in the Japanese restaurant industry.

The school offers a basic eight-week course with a curriculum covering everything from proper rice preparation to knife handling, as well as Japanese culinary history and philosophy.

An advanced four-week course builds on the basic course and further trains individuals to master the demanding technical skills required to acquire a position as a sushi chef.

Apart from profession-oriented classes, the school also offers basic one-day and five-day courses for beginners and Japanese food enthusiasts who want to bring skills to their own kitchen table.

Basic classes are set to start this month, and advanced courses in November.