Nobu Matsuhisa Quotes

“Sushi is something very exclusive. It is not like a McDonald's, not like a hot dog, not like a French fry. It's very high-class cooking in Japan.”

— Nobu Matsuhisa

“Making sushi is an art, and experience is everything.”

— Nobu Matsuhisa

Cooking is like fashion. Always, I like to try to change. If I'm traveling in a different country - to Australia, the Bahamas, Budapest, Moscow - and I see a new ingredient, I like to try it in a new dish.

— Nobu Matsuhisa

“I like both potatoes and rice. You can do a lot with both of them. But if I could eat only one carbohydrate for the rest of my life, I wouldn't choose bread, potatoes or even noodles. I'd go for rice instead; I eat more of that than anything else.”

— Nobu Matsuhisa

“I want to always keep going. I don't want to ever stop.”

— Nobu Matsuhisa

My business partner Robert De Niro knows a lot about hotels; he opened the Greenwich Hotel in New York City.

— Nobu Matsuhisa

“The fine art of preparing sushi is something that you watch and learn.”

— Nobu Matsuhisa

“With sushi, it is all about balance. Sometimes they cut the fish too thick, sometimes too thin. Often the rice is overcooked or undercooked. Not enough rice vinegar or too much.”

— Nobu Matsuhisa

“You know how kids dream of being soccer players or actors? Well, my dream was to be a sushi chef.”

— Nobu Matsuhisa

“Chefs are artists, and I couldn't be happy with my art if I was forced to use cheap ingredients.”

— Nobu Matsuhisa

I am very lucky to consider many of my business associates friends. Some are closer than others, but I respect and value all of them.

— Nobu Matsuhisa

“I learned from my first restaurant: Make customers happy, make sure the customer comes back again. And automatically, success has followed me.”

— Nobu Matsuhisa

I'm not perfect. I am not Iron Man.

— Nobu Matsuhisa

In the morning and the end of every day, I thank that I'm alive.

— Nobu Matsuhisa

My cooking is simply ingredients plus umami.

— Nobu Matsuhisa

“People who make mistakes but try their best, other people will support. But people who make mistakes because they're lazy, nobody supports.”

— Nobu Matsuhisa

“I cannot bring myself to wear the Nobu hats, or the Nobu T-shirts. But the chef's jacket, that is mine. And when I wear it, I am very proud of myself.”

— Nobu Matsuhisa

“I enjoy people who have passion, whether it is as a musician or whatever they do. All people who have success keep it very basic. Try your best. But without passion, you will not have success.”

— Nobu Matsuhisa

“It's true that cilantro has a strange, strong flavor. People seem to love it or not like it at all. Even I didn't like it at first when I had it in Peru. But I got used to it - it's hard not to in South America - and now I can't live without it.”

— Nobu Matsuhisa

One day, the people who work in my kitchen stir-fried chopped Napa cabbage to serve with some meat or fish for their own dinner. I got to thinking: 'What if the cabbage was the most important thing on the plate?'

— Nobu Matsuhisa

“One of my favorite ways to use cilantro is in a beautiful clear soup with monkfish and lime. It's a great dish for cooler weather, especially because monkfish is very good in fall and winter. Also, I like the meatiness and rich texture of monkfish.”

— Nobu Matsuhisa

“When I set up my first restaurant, I was so inspired by Wolfgang Puck, who is also based in L.A. and is now a good friend of mine, and the way he would engage with his customers and greet them personally.”

— Nobu Matsuhisa

“Peru was the Incas; it has 3,000 to 4,000 years of history.”

— Nobu Matsuhisa

“A sushi chef has to spot the best-quality fresh fish instantly.”

— Nobu Matsuhisa

“Eating a lot on the plane is not good for jet lag.”

— Nobu Matsuhisa

I can live without a computer. My assistant checks my e-mails.

— Nobu Matsuhisa

“I don't go out much.”

— Nobu Matsuhisa

“I feel like I owe something to America, as it is where I found success.”

— Nobu Matsuhisa

“I grew up in the countryside in Saitama prefecture, north of Tokyo.”

— Nobu Matsuhisa

“I like to keep healthy physically and mentally, too.”

— Nobu Matsuhisa

“I was a bit of a wild boy - always swimming and exploring the mountains.”

— Nobu Matsuhisa

“If I am at home in L.A. on a Saturday or Sunday, I like to start the day with a hot bath and then do an hour of stretching.”

— Nobu Matsuhisa

“It's still my happiest time when I'm eating.”

— Nobu Matsuhisa

“Many chefs are either technically or artistically better than me, but I know my food has soul.”

— Nobu Matsuhisa

Napa cabbage is very beautiful, all those long, pale leaves with ruffled edges.

— Nobu Matsuhisa

“Of course the Japanese and Peruvian fish are different, but it's the same Pacific Ocean. They are different, but I know fish.”

— Nobu Matsuhisa

“Once I fell out of a tree and was hit by a motorbike. I still have the scar on my head now.”

— Nobu Matsuhisa

“Swimming keeps me fit and flexible, and it helps that I have a large pool at my house in Beverly Hills.”

— Nobu Matsuhisa

“When I'm in L.A., I go to Spago because the chef is a friend of mine.”

— Nobu Matsuhisa

Whenever possible, buy a fish whole. With tuna, this isn't practical; with smaller fish, it is.

— Nobu Matsuhisa

“Dashi remains unfamiliar to most French and American cooks, who tend to reach for a bouillon cube to do many of the same things. But dashi is worth preparing and using the way the Japanese do: for poaching fish, as a soup base, and in simmered dishes.”

— Nobu Matsuhisa

“Every morning when I woke up, my mother was already in the kitchen making breakfast. It was always the same: steamed rice, pickled vegetables, grilled fish and miso soup. Each day there was something different in the soup such as tofu or potatoes.”

— Nobu Matsuhisa

“Every year, I do a New Year's day party at my home. I invite my staff and my friends and their kids. Around 40-50 people come by, and I do a barbecue and salads, steak and sushi, and also lots of cheese.”

— Nobu Matsuhisa

“I can't imagine Japanese food without dashi, a broth made with kelp and dried bonito flakes. It has the aroma of the sea, tinged with a subtle smokiness, and adds a very important, distinct flavor.”

— Nobu Matsuhisa

“I exercise every morning, no matter what. Sometimes it's tough to do right when you get off the plane, but after ten minutes you start sweating, and you always feel better.”

— Nobu Matsuhisa

I travel all over the world, usually 10 months out of the year. I stay at a lot of hotels, and the ones I like best are clean and not complicated. You go to bed and say, 'Wow, I feel comfortable.'

— Nobu Matsuhisa

“Large fish such as tuna are shown already cut into fillets and bought by the block. Fillets should be almost transparent. Avoid tuna that looks rainbow-colored or black.”

— Nobu Matsuhisa

“My flight time is important to me; I actually prefer a longer flight to a short one. That way I have time to read a book, watch movies, and think about new dishes.”

— Nobu Matsuhisa

“Shellfish is better to buy live. In the U.S., because we eat oysters and clams raw, it is very important that they are alive before we prepare them. It's important to look for a closed shell. If a clam is alive, the shell will be closed. Never buy clams if the shell is open.”

— Nobu Matsuhisa

“Any kind of vision needs people.”

— Nobu Matsuhisa