Reset and refresh

Im currently at 33,000 feet on a Hawaiian Airliner Triple 6. On our way to Kona, Hawaii.

My original plan was to do some market research for creating a second destination location for my company Sushimotos. My plan was going to work out perfectly as we work with a high end luxury travel company called Inspirato. Our current work with them involves private chef service for small intimate groups. However one of the keys to our success is how we differentiate ourselves from other in the catering industry. We specialize in Japanese and sushi experiences.

Which in my mind is a perfect fit for the Islands. Not to mention my website has received 6 inquiries in sushi dinners all coming from the Islands, the funny part is we are located in Sonoma/Napa, California.

This to me was another sign of a possible expansion or move, poor me. Let’s retract a bit.

You see I started my culinary journey in Hawaii. I was fortunate enough to land my externship on Lanai. I had no idea at the time how this would shape my career. I was not young, age 29 at this point but worked in my family restaurant since age 15. So I had solid experience. I worked for both resorts at the time in 2001. It had a big cultural influence on my cooking style and the direction I went.

After learning about Asian ingredients, heavy influences from Japan, Korea and the philipeans . I was hooked. My Italian mom not so happy .

I honed my skills and eventually traveled to Denmark to eventually become a sushi chef. A whole other story.

So after 4 restaurants (3 sushi bars, 1 catering company) Im trying to get back to the Islands that made a dramatic impact on my life and career.

Hawaii definitely does something to your soul. Especially after being near the bay area and busy metropolis areas. My stints were limited and small being from more of a rural area. Think po-dunck . My best description would be think about camping with an ocean and palm trees, slight tropical breeze and flip flops, short but not Tommy Bahamas shirts! And typical opposite of the chaos of a typical chefs life.

My other new found hobby if you will. Only because I now find myself with more time off and deeper pockets than one would ever have imagined being a Reataurantuer. Flying, as

About 10 years ago started flying again. I was a private licensed pilot at age 24 primarily due to my father’s passion for aviation. He was a flight instructor. So I got my license and was derailed by restaurants and no money.

Back to my perfect plan. I imagined myself flying around the Islands to execute private sushi chefs gigs! Load up some fresh Hawaiian fish, my Maki-su (rolling mat) , sushi knives and off i go over the palm trees into a slight tropical headwind. Sounds good, right?

Ok stay tune as we are abiut to land! What else does one do with 5 hours of flight time?