One of our favorite places to eat is this sushi restaurant in Hinsdale. We love the food, but more than anything, we love the people.
Whenever we have friends over by our house, we love to take them to Nabuki.
Nabuki is this Sushi restaurant that’s been in Hinsdale for 11 years. The restaurant’s chef has a great story that I would love to share.
Juan Perez or JP, as everyone calls him, started working in the restaurant business in 1995 when he was 14 years old. He began working in an Italian restaurant.
JP did everything at the restaurant from washing dishes to bussing tables. But he loved the kitchen. The chef saw his eagerness and put him on the line chopping vegetables.
JP soon moved up and the kitchen gave him more responsibilities. Then JP moved to California in 2000 and began working in a Japanese restaurant making sushi.
Sushi was just starting to become a thing in the US. Then JP moved back to Chicago and began working at Kamehachi on Wells. He said it was a super busy restaurant and that his skills got really good at Kamehachi.
Most people couldn’t handle the pressure and quit just after a few days. If someone was able to last a week, then they would last a very long time.
JP then opened his own sushi bar in the suburbs. The restaurant was doing great and JP was living the American dream.
Then the 2008 recession crisis happened and he lost everything. He lost his business, his home and his car. It was a low point for JP.
After JP lost his restaurant, one of his regulars found him and approached him with a business proposition of opening up their own sushi restaurant in Hinsdale.
The restaurant opened and has grown each and every year. They have tripled in size since they first opened.
I still have many friends that have never tried sushi. I always take them there to convert them. They give an awesome experience with first time sushi eaters.
Sarah and I love going and we sit at the sushi bar. I am fascinated at watching them construct their rolls and having great conversations with them. I really appreciate people that are very good at their job. And that’s what I love about Nabuki. If you are looking for a good sushi place, try Nabuki in Hinsdale. It’s worth the drive.
Floss Like a Madman!
Emilio “Sushi Lover” Couret