An Iowan Chef Classically Nurtures the American Sushi Culture

Our guest today is Robby Cook, who is the chef at Coral. Coral opened in October 2023 and is located next to Grand Central Station in Manhattan.

Robby’s path to becoming a successful sushi chef is unique and impressive. He joined us on Episode 37 in 2016, when he was the executive chef at Morimoto, and talked about his intriguing journey to becomimg a successful sushi chef.

Inspired by the world of sushi and its tradition, Robby studied at the California Sushi Academy. After graduation, he proved his talent at notable restaurants in New York, including BondST and Morimoto.

There used to be a belief that great sushi could be made only by Japanese chefs trained in Japan, but now we see so many cases to disprove this idea. Robby is a perfect example: he not only understands the traditional value of sushi, but communicates it effectively to a global audience with his own sushi-making philosophy.

On this episode, we will discuss how a young American decided himself to becoming a sushi chef, how he managed to hone his skills to become one of the top talents in the U.S., his sushi-making philosophy behind his omakase menu at Coral, his advice for future sushi chefs and much, much more!!!

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THE NOTO PENINSULA EARTHQUAKE DISASTER RELIEF 

As you may know, a major earthquake struck Japan's Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture on January 1st. The death toll keeps climbing and the damage to the beautiful region is tremendous. Importantly, 10 of the 11 sake breweries in the Noto Peninsula were completely or partially destroyed. 

So if you can, please donate through reliable organizations including: 

The Japanese Red Cross https://www.jrc.or.jp/english/relief/2024NotoPeninsulaEarthquake.html 

Peace Winds America: A fundraiser by US-Japan Foundation/US-Japan Leadership Program https://www.globalgiving.org/fundraisers/49472/ 　

The Ishikawa Sake Brewers Association 

https://www.ishikawa-sake.jp/index.php　

(the donation account details) https://www.ishikawa-sake.jp/images/97-1.pdf)

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