Today we’d like to introduce you to Shuji Hiyakawa.
Shuji, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Born to a family that owned an Udon shop in the hub of Udon world aka Fukuoka was the biggest reason and inspiration why I got into the restaurant industry, the like-father-like-son situation. It was when I reached the legal age (16 years old) to work, and I officially started working in a kitchen as a part-time job. Therefore, my after-school activity throughout high school only consists of working there. At the age of 20, I realized that I was interested in creating in general, not just creating food. Then, I actually started my own carpenter company to make houses along with the high economic growth in 90’s in Japan. A decade later, I was only 30 and still ambitious; I wanted to test myself to see how far I can do/achieve, so I flew to the States without knowing English but Engrish. All those who’ve left your own country must have the same moment that all the sudden you cherish your own culture, tradition, food and everything else. The desire to spread the Japanese cuisine in the states pushed me to go back to the restaurant industry and I decided to pursue the chef life again.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
-Confusion with Poke bowl
I understand that the Poke bowl trend has hit Miami a while ago, but we sometimes get those who think our sushi bowls are Poke. I would love to emphasize that our bowl is purely raw as it is “sushi” bowls, unlike Poke, is marinated with lemon, soy sauce, or whatever used. We are still in the phase of educating our first-time customers that what we serve is deconstructed sushi, which is called “donburi.”
-Misunderstanding of the term “sushi”
Sushi does not mean just nigiri and maki (rolls.) We sometimes encounter that moment when customers feel disappointed when they find out that we do not serve nigiri or maki. However, all what we serve here is still sushi such as donburi (deconstructed sushi bowl), sashimi, and hand rolls.
-Breaking the stereotype/idea of “sushi is with rice and soy sauce”
We could not be happier with the fact that a lot of customers love our sushi rice and soy sauce as we make them with our own recipe. However, we offer three other options for both base and sauce; for base – multigrain, chasoba, and green mix, for sauce – sesame ginger, spicy miso, and spicy sesame soy. In order to accommodate the health conscious Miamians, we would love to show that sushi does not necessarily need to be served over rice with a side of soy sauce. We usually recommend sushi rice to our first-time customers just have them try in the most authentic way. Yet, we tend to encourage others to try a different base and sauce. Our menu is small (on the regular menu); there are only four bowls, yet you can have the same bowl in a different way if you choose the different base and sauce!
Please tell us about Wabi Sabi by Shuji.
Wabi Sabi by Shuji was created with a hope to provide the zen escape from the crazy world of Miami. Also, we want to be “the closest” place to Japan in Miami without a passport. As I take pride in keeping the Japanese authenticity in both food and atmosphere, all the design and decoration were handcrafted and done by me. This is not a fancy place, but it is where you feel peace and love. I want each customer to walk in here and feel relax and refresh. Food in my language (Japanese) is spelled with two separate letters; people and good. Why? It is because food makes people good. That is exactly what I want to do with my restaurant.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My father’s udon shop was at the downstairs of our home. I remember everyday waking up to that good smell of udon broth he was prepping for each day. He is a typical Asian/Japanese father of few words, and that is how I can’t recall a single memory of receiving his guidance. Yet, what I received from him was the consistency and dedication to devote himself to work hard. Now that I take a moment, I am in the same industry as he was and doing what he did for life. I grew up watching his back and am quite content to be following the same path as him.
Pricing:
- Below $20 for a daily meal (for a bowl)
- Upgraded meal but max $40 (for a bowl)
Contact Info:
- Address: 851 NE 79th St
Miami FL 33138 - Website: www.wabisabibyshuji.com
- Phone: 305-890-7228
- Email: konnichiwa@wabisabibyshuji.com
- Instagram: @wabisabibyshuji
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wabisabibyshuji/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/wabi-sabi-by-shuji-miami
Getting in touch: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
