By no means did Yumi Chiba want to follow the path of her uncle and father — both recognized sushi chefs in Shizuoka, a Japanese prefecture. Chiba went so far as to move to Tokyo to avoid the career that was neatly laid out for her. Her marriage eventually took her back to Shizuoka and a subsequent battle with cancer is what gave her “the courage to try anything out.”
Today Chiba is the chef and president of Anago no Uotake, where she has began working alongside her father, learning each one of his techniques, before taking charge of the sushi counter. Chiba‘s 20 years at Anago no Uotake are largely defined by her journey to perfect atsuyaki tamago — the traditional Japanese egg sushi served as the end of a meal to function as dessert. “Tamago is only served at restaurant that want to preserve tradition,” says Chiba. “I am merely preserving this tradition as best I can.”
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