Today we’d like to introduce you to Jimmy Park.
Jimmy, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I started working as a dish washer at a Chinese Korean restaurant in Seattle back in 2003. I dropped out of high school my freshman year to financially provide for my brother and I. After two months, I was promoted to being a kitchen chef and this is when my love for food started.
In 2006, I moved to Colorado and found a job as a line cook in a Japanese restaurant. The owner and chef noticed my skills and steady hands. He wanted me in the front making sushi and talking with customers. I trained under him for a couple of years and then started traveling around the states to expand my knowledge. Working at an ordinary sushi restaurant wasn’t enough for me. I was hungry to learn more and my dream was to be a Nobu chef, so I started calling Matsuhisa Aspen once a month for two years. I built a relationship over the phone with the receptionist who turned out to be the wife of the head chef, Phillip Tanaka. He finally called me back and offered me a job.
This is when my career really took off. Phillip Tanaka, took me under his wings and showed me the ins and outs of the Nobu company. After two years I asked to transfer to the Nobu in San Diego. I spoke with the head chef, Yuichi Matsuyoshi, and he explained that he could only offer me two days a week, but I took it anyway. It took me three months of working two jobs with no days off to finally get a full time position at Nobu.
My experience at Nobu San Diego was both stressful and rewarding. The chefs there are by far the best chefs that I have ever worked with. My skills were nothing compared to theirs and they treated me like an outcast. I was being yelled at every day and was being called “ay”, but I came to work an hour early every single day without clocking in to gain their respect. It took me one year of this for them to finally call me by my name. I then learned from the Executive Sushi Chef, Yuichi Matsuyoshi, the Japanese secrets of cutting live fish.
After Nobu San Diego I worked at Michelin rated restaurants, such as Kabuto Las Vegas and L’ atellier Las Vegas.
I then worked at Nobu Dallas, where I met two investors and we opened Pok the Raw Bar. We were ranked as one of the top ten best poke restaurants in the state. I now have a new opportunity of opening a hand roll concept restaurant with a new company.
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?
The one big challenge that I had was leaving my daughter with my mom as I left Colorado to learn more. As a chef you have to have a lot of skills in order to make good money so I sacrificed a couple years. When I finally got the job at Nobu Matsuhisa in Aspen, I drove five hours to see her on my days off. Even if it was snowing or raining.
Please tell us about your business.
We are currently in construction and are hoping to open in June. Our concept is a fast casual hand roll restaurant. We will have an a la carte option and a set menu. Only using the best ingredients, all at an affordable price.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite childhood memory is when I lived in Hawaii. My mom would come home at 2am after work and bring my brother and I California rolls and spicy tuna rolls. Also, skateboarding with my friends, eating lime flavored shaved ice with condensed milk and going to the beach.
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