SINGAPORE — The Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC), in partnership with the World Sushi Skills Institute of Japan (WSSI), announced yesterday (May 14) its search for Singapore’s top sushi chef, who will then go on to represent the country at the inaugural Global Sushi Challenge 2015, which will be held in Tokyo on November 25.

Singapore’s representative can expect to go up against some of the best sushi chefs from 14 countries across Asia, Europe and America.

Drawing attention to the worldwide appeal of sushi, the competition’s project manager, Mika Tomiyama, said there are some 50,000 restaurants outside Japan that serve sushi. Of these, 275 are located in Singapore.

The aim is to encourage non-Japanese chefs to participate, said Tomiyama. However, Japanese chefs outside of Japan are not barred, and Tokyo will be holding its own search for a local representative for the finals.

In Singapore, the search is being organised in collaboration with SHATEC and will be held on July 9. It will be open to all local sushi chefs “of non-Japanese nationality” with a minimum of three years working experience. They will be judged in two categories: Traditional Edo Mae Sushi and Creative Sushi. The chosen chef will win a cash prize of S$1,000, a trophy and an all-expenses-paid three-day trip to Tokyo for the finals.

SHATEC executive director Margaret Heng added that the competition will more importantly help create awareness of this particular trade and the skills required to be a sushi chef. “There is so much that go into the making of sushi … and it’s not like you can be a sushi chef overnight,” she said.

In addition to taste and overall balance, from cutting to plating, finalists will be evaluated on their practical capabilities, from personal and work hygiene to food wastage, as well as the use of salmon.

In line with the event’s objectives of improving the international standards of professional sushi-making, there will also be a sushi seminar on July 7 and 8. Open to all sushi chefs in Singapore, the two-day “train the trainer” course will include theory and practical sessions, as well as an accreditation test to qualify for the International Sushi Proficiency Certificate. Participants chosen for the national challenge will automatically qualify for the seminar.

The search in South-east Asia kicks off in Singapore, followed by Taiwan and Indonesia.

“I deliberately chose to start off in Singapore, it being the most organised market, to be honest, of all these three markets. So hopefully, we can use the experience here in the other markets,” said Jon Erik Steenslid, NSC’s regional director for South-east Asia. “We are very excited about this competition; we feel that it’s a good opportunity to bring something to the restaurant scene and the chefs in Singapore, in giving them skills and knowledge to provide good and safe products for their customers, and of course, promote the Norwegian salmon. (Notably, besides being the second-largest exporter of seafood today, Norway is also known for introducing salmon to this age-old Japanese cuisine in 1985.)

Entry forms and details are available from the Global Sushi Challenge Singapore Secretariat (Dunbar Jones & Associates, Tel: 6356 2830). Interested parties can also apply via http://sushichallenge.global/. The closing date for submissions is June 2.