Russian chef Sam Shevchenko is reinventing himself as a sushi master after losing his job in the cruise ship industry. Photo / Dean Purcell
Russian chef Sam Shevchenko is reinventing himself as a sushi master after losing his job in the cruise ship industry. Photo / Dean Purcell
Until early this year, Russian chef Sam Shevchenko used to supply food to cruise ships docking in New Zealand ports.
But after Covid-19 killed the industry, the 34-year-old is following his passion of becoming a sushi chef and creating a modernised take on the dish.
Joel Singam, 33, trained asan Italian chef and used to work in Non Solo Pizza and Farina, but is now going back to his Malaysian roots and carving out a new career as a chef specialising in nasi kandar - a popular northern Malaysian style of eating.
Chef Joel Singam is trained in Italian cooking but is reinventing himself as a Malaysian chef using his wife Alexandra Kumaran's recipes. Photo / Sylvie Whinray.
The coronavirus pandemic has hit New Zealand's hospitality industry like a steamroller, with the Restaurant Association estimating the closure of more than 540 restaurants and at least 9300 hospitality workers losing their jobs.
Some top chefs are weathering this reality by starting food stalls at markets, but others - like Shevchenko and Singam - are completely transforming the type of food they offer.
Originally from St Petersburg, Shevchenko said he had dreamt of becoming a sushi master since he was a teenager and saw this as an opportune time to realise that dream.
Simple, bright and yummy: sushi creations by Russian sushi chef Sam Shevchenko. Photo / Dean Purcell.
"Cruise ships are not going to come back anytime soon, so what have I got to lose," Shevchenko said.
"I've always been fascinated with sushi, and how you can create thousands of variations and discovering new flavours and ways of preparing it."
Schevchenko said he was currently working on a concept and implementation of a project called "Sam's Sushi" and was looking for a commercial kitchen base.
Chef Joel Singam's nasi kandar - a rice meal served with a variety of curries and side dishes - which he sells at his food stall across Auckland's night markets. Photo / Sylvie Whinray.
"My sushi is not a quick snack like what's common here. It's is a proper full meal that harmoniously combines taste, quality of ingredients and aesthetics," he said.
"I am very attentive to the quality of the products, I buy all the ingredients by myself, because one of the main rules of Japanese cuisine is that the taste of each ingredient should be felt, while they should be as fresh as possible and harmoniously complement each other."
Shevchenko said his sushi creation would be similar to what people get at top Japanese restaurants in St Petersburg - lots of ingredients, but little rice.
Russian chef Sam Shevchenko says losing his job in the cruise ship industry has given him a chance to follow his dream of becoming a sushi master. Photo / Dean Purcell.
"My main rule is that everything should be simple, bright and yummy," he said.
Singam said he had mulled about what to do since leaving Farina and being made redundant as a car salesman with Holden when it closed early this year.
"I specialise in Italian cooking, having been trained by great chefs like Antonio Crisci and Dave Scouller, but in times like these, there is no job for an Italian chef who is Indian," he said.
"Then I thought to myself, my wife is not only a great cook but she also has amazing Malaysian Indian recipes. Why don't I go back to our roots and carve out a new career cooking food that is closest to my heart."
Chef Joel Singam who previously worked at Italian restaurants wants to bring an authentic nasi kandar experience to Auckland. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
Singam said that back in Malaysia, he had a favourite restaurant in Penang called Nasi Kandar Merlin - serving rice meals with a variety of curries and side dishes in a style that was popularised by Tamil Muslims in India.
The rice - either plain or flavoured - is accompanied by dishes such as fried chicken, mutton curry, sambal eggs, beef rendang and fried fish.
"There is really nothing like it in Auckland, and I thought we could give it a go," Singam said.
So with the help of his wife Alexandra Kumaran, 35, they started a nasi kandar stall at the Auckland Night Markets and now operate five times a week at Botany, Henderson, Papatoetoe, Pakuranga and Highbury.
Sid Sahrawat is an example of a top NZ chef who has returned to the flavours of his childhood when he opened restaurants specialising in Indian influenced flavours. Photo / Dean Purcell.
"It is a huge risk planning to open a business during the pandemic, we don't really have a business plan except for a gut feeling that no one can resist delicious food," Singam said.
Restaurant Association chief executive Marisa Bidois described chefs as a creative group of people.
"Many will try different styles of cuisine, if only for personal pleasure," she said.
Bidois said it was common for chefs who specialised in one style of cuisine to return to the flavours of their childhood.
"Sid Sahrawat is a great example of a chef that specialised in classical fine dining before opening up two restaurants specialising in Indian influenced flavours," she said.
However, Bidois said it does take years to build up a good knowledge of one style of cuisine.
"So to transition from being a senior chef in an Italian restaurant and go in at the same level in a restaurant that specialises in a different style of cuisine is challenging," she said.
"There will need to be a degree of learning before that chef can reach the same level."
