Esau Chavez, sushi chef at Tsukiji Japanese Cuisine, has been creating Japanese dishes for almost 10 years.

“I like decorating the sushi and sashimi rolls and the whole presentation of it,” Chavez said. “I like making good sushi, special rolls and beautiful plates for all of the customers.”

Chavez has been a chef at Tsukiji for almost three years and has worked as a kitchen chef, hibachi chef and a sushi chef. He has also worked at other Asian cuisine restaurants, including Sakikawa Japanese Steakhouse. Although Chavez said he can cook a variety of styles, such as Tex-Mex and Korean, Japanese cuisine has always been his favorite.

“Every day I cook something for the sushi bar,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to be a chef.”

Chavez said his role as sushi chef has been different from his role as a kitchen chef. Now, crafting unique sushi rolls are Chavez’s favorite part of the job.

“The Tex-Mex roll and the mango roll are my favorite [sushi rolls] to make,” he said. “I also like making the tuna tartare appetizer.”

Chavez helps create more than 40 different specialty sushi rolls, 10 types of sashimi and more than 20 types of nigiri sushi at Tsukiji.

Chef Highlights

Sushi chef Esau Chavez expresses his creativity through the distinctive sushi rolls featured at Tsukiji Japanese Cuisine:

• Tex-Mex Roll: shrimp tempura, tomato, onion, avocado, cream cheese, jalapeno and sriracha sauce rolled in soy paper ($10.95)
• Mango Roll: escolar, mango and cucumber topped with crunchy mango and mango sauce ($12.95)
• Shaggy Dog Roll: shrimp tempura, avocado and cucumber topped with kani, spicy mayo and eel sauce ($12.95)
• Sumo Roll: shrimp tempura and chicken katsu topped with kani, avocado, tempura flakes, masago, eel sauce and scallions ($14.95)

Appetizers:

• Tskuiji Tuna Tar Tar: chopped tuna pieces, cilantro, avocado, tomato and cucumber ($13.95)
• Sashimi Tiramisu: assorted fish with mango, avocado and spicy sweet toppings ($15.95)