Nobu Matsuhisa

“In my generation, there was no sushi school, no cooking school, so people have to learn from working.”

“I like Mercedes because my wife has been in two big accidents and emerged without a scratch, thanks to the safety of these cars.”

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

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

“My cooking is simply ingredients plus umami.”

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

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

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

“I love big shrimp, like Japanese botan shrimp and the meaty ones from Santa Barbara, Calif. In classic Japanese cooking, shrimp like these would be dropped into a broth or boiled as served with sushi. But I think boiling dilutes their great flavor, and they are better when stir-fried.”

“The first jolt I received in my life was when I lost my father in a motorcycle accident when I was eight. I would have been with him if he hadn't turned down my request to go out with him that afternoon.”

“I eat soup noodles for comfort. In fact, noodles of any kind. It's a food that is very easy to eat; it's very soothing and comfortable, too. If I could choose any, I'd say buckwheat was my favourite: it has a very good flavour and is healthy, too.”

“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.”

“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.”

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

“Have you ever been to Mexico City and haggled with the locals over souvenirs? Well, in Peru, you had to negotiate like that to get the freshest fish at the market.”

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

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”