It seems ages ago that I stumbled upon one of the best Fusion Sushi Chefs I'd ever eaten with...he was tucked into a corner of a steak house in tiny little Shallotte, North Carolina.
I didn't get to eat with him too often, as I had already begun to shift my home base back to Atlanta from the North Carolina Coast. But every time I got the chance, I went to partake of his amazing creations, and was always delighted with the nuances he was able to pack into the simplest of dishes.
After moving back to Atlanta, I would occasionally check in to his Facebook Page, just to see the pictures of his newest creations, wishing that I could reach through the screen with my chopsticks... this is one that he titled "Rainbows Aren't Just in The Sky":
Yum Yum.
He was fond of serving in Soup Spoons, and I was always delighted to see his artistic talents applied to another lovely offering. Like this one~
He was hard, hard working; he had to drive down from Wilmington every day to attend to his tiny Sushi Bar tucked into the corner of the steakhouse. About an 85 mile commute, round-trip. He didn't have any way to cook in his little corner, so he had to dash to the back of the building to the restaurant kitchen in order to make his hot dishes. You'd see him running back and forth, never loosing his graceful demeanor while serving up his exquisite dishes.
Like his Hamachi Kama, rubbed with Lemon Grass and Ginger...
A couple of weeks ago, I got a little tap on the shoulder from Chef Mark. He is striking out on his own, and trying valiantly to open his own little restaurant in Wilmington, NC. And true to Mark's form, he is firm about having a Sustainable Sushi Restaurant. As in, being responsible to the planet, and the oceans that provide us with all this fabulous food.
He is trying to raise some opening capital on Indiegogo, and amazingly enough, is having a slow go of it. My amazement is that with all the folks who swooned over his skills, he's far from his fairly moderate goal of $5,000.00. I hope you will give this guy a little boost and show your belief in hard work and the American Dream by donating anything you can to his effort. And then, give yourself a pat on the back for helping sponsor someone who refuses to just go collect unemployment.
It is the original American Dream...with an Asian twist!
