Get to Know… Eiko’s Sous Chef Willi Nordby (left) and Sushi Chef José Sanchez 24 www.nAPAVA L L E Y L I F Emagaz ine.com After the popular Napa sushi restaurant Fujiya closed, businessman and sushi lover Rick Zaslove created and named his Japaneseinspired cuisine after the former owner, Eiko Nakamura. He named the restaurant, featuring Japanese-inspired cuisine, after Fujiya’s owner Eiko Nakamura. He hired most of the former Fujiya staff, including sushi chef José Sanchez. Sanchez had begun working for Eiko at age nineteen, starting in the kitchen and moving up to sushi making within two years. “I learned firsthand how to make sushi rolls from Eiko,” said Sanchez. “Most of the popular rolls we have at Eiko’s Restaurant we developed with Rick and tried them out with Eiko’s long time customers.” Sanchez, who has a quiet personality, is an expert at his craft and has a following of regular customers. He is married and has five children. New in the Eiko’s kitchen is Nordby, who is originally from Seattle and was recently the chef at Oenotri just down the street. Four months ago Nordby crossed the street to take on the modern Japanese cuisine coming from Eiko’s. “What I like about Eiko’s is that we don’t have to be stuck with tradition,” said Norby. “We can be whimsical and playful and come up with new dishes— like our Japanese taco.” Because many patrons order from both the sushi bar and the kitchen, timing is everything, according to the duo. “There is a lot of cooperation and communication that goes on between the kitchen and the sushi bar so everything comes out together,” Norby added. “José and I have a good sense of each other’s timing.” The pair actually get to work side by side during lunch on Monday and Tuesday, which helps them hone in on each other’s strengths. While Sanchez was trained hands-on, Norby is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena. He said his Mom was a terrific cook, and he grew up eating “a lot of Asian food.” Both Sanchez and Nordby are looking forward to creating holiday dishes and enhancing the unique experience at Eiko’s. The “Seven Stones” sculpture Mike Gibson and Ronald Wornick José Sanchez Sushi Chef Willi Nordby Sous Chef ADVERTORIAL FEATURE
NVLife_NovDec_2013
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