Aaron Chan, right, and Tony Tien, prepare lunch behind the sushi bar at Zen Mitsuru Japanese Restaurant in Queensgate Shopping Center. (Daily Record/Sunday News -- File )

In August 2006, Aaron Chan, chef and owner of Zen Mitsuru Japanese Restaurant, 2081 Springwood Drive, York Township sat down with us to talk about his career. The Spring Garden Township resident talked about learning the art of sushi in his native Hong Kong and what he eats for breakfast.

How long have you been at Mitsuru? We opened almost two years ago.

How did you get to become a chef? I learn(ed) it when I was young. It came from my babysitter. I (went) to his house for dinner every night. He was a chef from Japan, so 80 percent was Japanese food. When I (grew) up, I was really curious and wanted to learn some of the dishes from him. I learn(ed) how to pick the fish and how to shop for all the vegetable and meat. When I move(d) to the United States 18 years ago, I had a part-time job at a Japanese restaurant. My position was bus boy. I was 16 or 17, and I (told) the owner I know how to do that (make the sushi). He didn't believe me because it takes a long time to be a sushi chef. I show(ed) him how to do that, and he said, "You really know how to do it," and he started me in the kitchen. I learn(ed) from other master chef and standing behind the sushi bar. I work(ed) at different restaurants in different cities to pick up my experience.

What is your favorite dish to make at Mitsuru? I think sashimi; it's a raw fish combination. You can taste five or six kinds of fish. I like that the most because I don't eat too much rice. I would recommend sushi pilaf, fish on the top of the rice. These are two traditional Japanese sushi dishes.

Do you remember the first time you tried sushi? The first time I tried sushi, yeah, when I was young. It was probably...either the cucumber roll or some vegetable roll. I remember the first sushi roll I made. I used ham. I was 12 or 13 years old, and it was a school picnic. Every kid had to prepare their own food and to share with classmates. I made sushi. I couldn't find anything else, so I used ham. After I (made) the roll, I didn't cut it so they had to eat it whole. I was still in Hong Kong in middle school.

What is your favorite meal to make at home? I don't really cook at home. I eat at the restaurant a lot. On my day off, it's my mom (who is) cooking.

What is one item that is a must in your cupboards? Soy sauce. Yeah, I like soy sauce a lot. Wasabi, too.

What is the one thing people don't know about sushi that you think they should? Well, I think maybe they dip the sushi or the sushi roll in the soy sauce too long. It tastes good very lightly. Also, wasabi, when you have

Aaron Chan learned how to make sushi from his babysitter when he was a child in Hong Kong. His knowledge has made him a well-known fixture on the York restaurant scene. This decorative dish is just a sampling of his chef skills. (Daily Record/Sunday News -- File )
a little bit of taste with the fish, it kills the germs and have the power to kill the fishy taste. If you use it too much, it will hurt the stomach. Really, I suggest people should go light to get the taste. Also, use the fish to dip in the sauce, not the rice in the sauce. When they eat the roll, they should pick up once piece, dip in soy sauce and put on top of the next piece so it absorbs some of the sauce and you don't have to dip the second piece. It's a little trick, a lot of people don't know that.

Where is your favorite place to dine, other than Mitsuru?

The one in York is Al Dente. It's pretty good. I also go to Round the Clock Diner and McDonald's. I also go to (the) Chinese restaurant, Shangrila.

When you aren't cooking, what's on the agenda? I like to play basketball and almost all kind of sports. I play pool and soccer and like riding bicycle.

Do you eat breakfast, if so what? Uh, breakfast, sometimes, but coffee the most. Eggs and sandwich. Sometimes I will cook rice soup with some of the pickled vegetables. This is a pretty traditional Asian way. But also coffee. Eighty percent is coffee.

What has the restaurant done for the community? What do the customers say about the restaurant? They are pretty satisfied with what we have done. Ninety percent of them are happy and in these couple of years I have seen a lot of returning customers. Also, I think today . . . in York it's pretty simple life, and it's pretty hard to find a different type of food. So to them, it's good to have something different than the traditional continental food here. A lot look for healthy. Sushi is (a) wonderful choice.

If people don't understand sushi, is your staff knowledgeable to help them? I have my manager and she will go to the table and ask the customer if it's a new customer that doesn't know anything about restaurant or menu. We always have a picture menu for a new eater. Customers come up to the sushi bar and ask, "What is the special fish? What has just come in? What is the best?" When people come to visit, they come to the bar to watch me do my thing and ask me a lot of questions. Usually, I try to teach them to eat from the simple stuff. Get used to sushi, get used to raw fish and go from there.

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