Yokai Berry, photo by Jeff Stockton

Chef Tyson Cole, Executive Chef and owner of Uchi and Uchiko in Austin calls this an antioxidant dish, and when you see the ingredients, you’ll understand why.

Visit local Asian markets to locate some of the ingredients.

Image Courtesy Uchiko Website

Tyson Cole, executive chef and owner of the Japanese restaurants Uchi and Uchiko in Austin, Texas is a sushi master. So when he offers suggestions about the best ingredients to buy and the best gear to have on hand–you listen.

Following are a few tips for getting a great start on your own culinary adventure.

1. Items always good to keep on hand in the pantry: white soy, mirin, kelp. nori snacks, and mochi. Also shishito peppers, ooba, shiso, and ume.
2. The fish on display at markets is what THEY want to sell, not necessarily what you should buy; the freshest fish is in the back that just arrived.
3. Try not to buy pre filleted fish; whole is best and fillet yourself. Flesh should be firm, smell should be fresh, eyes should be clear, and gills should be red.
4. Dutch ovens are great for steaming in foil packets for fish, and grilling for meats, vegetables and fruits.
5. Gear to have on hand: Microplanes for citrus zest, garlic or hard cheese. Japanese knives, tongs, silpats for roasting or baking, and sheet pans.
6. Lots of fish only come pre frozen, others only fresh. Depends on type of fish and location/time it was caught. Super cold water frozen fish is great; blast freezers on some fishing vessels freeze the product so quickly…when you get it,it’s fresher than something “fresh” at the supermarket.

TysonCole, Photo by Brett Buchanan

Tyson Cole is a passionate student of the Japanese tradition.

He has trained for more than 10 years in Tokyo, New York, and Austin, under two different sushi masters.

He continues his path of study and experimentation at Uchi, developing unprecedented, multi-cultural combinations using his impeccable knowledge of technique.

Cole became fascinated with sushi in his early twenties while working at an Austin Japanese restaurant.  He dedicated himself to learning every aspect of the cuisine. Demonstrating skill and dexterity with the knife, he quickly worked his way from dishwasher to head sushi chef.  Cole then moved to Austin’s top sushi restaurant, Musashino, where he completed an intensive traditional apprenticeship under owner Takehiko Fuse.  The two spent time in Japan, where Cole experienced the food and gained technical skill.

Fuse challenged him to learn the Japanese language, which helped Cole learn more about the cuisine.  He later trained at Bond Street, one of the busiest sushi restaurants in New York City.  In his last year at Musashino, Cole began experimenting with new ideas about flavors, influences and ingredients, running the restaurant in Fuse’s absence.

Then in May of 2003 Uchi opened with Cole as Executive Chef and co-owner. Cole’s gift of marrying global ingredients and flavors with traditional Japanese flavors quickly garnered him local as well as national attention and Uchi became one of the top fine dining restaurants in Austin. The accolades continued when he was awarded a coveted spot on Food and Wine Magazine’s Best New Chefs of 2005 list. In May 2011, Cole received a James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Southwest.

Unlike many executive chefs, Cole is not just an overseer.  He brings great energy to the sushi bar every night, conversing with patrons, intuiting their wishes, and using razor sharp knives at rapid speed to turn out works of edible art.  Simultaneously, Cole directs the other sushi chefs, the bartender, the cooks on the line and the yakitori grill, as well as collaborating with the chef de cuisine.

“Ingredients and flavors from all over the world are easily accessible now,” Cole says.  “The cuisine I create is playfully multi-cultural, mixing the Japanese tradition with tastes that inspire me.”

Cole opened his second restaurant in Austin, Uchiko, in July 2010 and celebrated the release of Uchi the Cookbook in March 2011.

Tyson Cole, Photo by Jeff Stockton

Tyson Cole at the Texas Book Festival
Sunday, October 23, 11 a.m.
Central Market Cooking Tent

Enter for a chance to win Uchi: The Cookbook. Details below.

Tyson Cole, executive chef/owner of Uchi and Uchiko in Austin “fell in love” with the Japanese culture, cuisine and people.

“I really appreciate how respectful they are about everything, especially the food. ”

Japanese food is fresh, seasonal and served in a way that allows the diner to appreciate every element. It doesn’t involve large plates spilling over with a pile of inexpensive food, which is something “Americans have come to expect.”

Instead, each plate is thoughtfully prepared and plated and served to diners very quickly as not to lose any of the “life” in the dish.

“With the sushi, we don’t let anyone order more than four plates at a time, because we want to make sure people eat everything at the optimal temperature.”

When Tyson Cole opened Uchi in 2003 it drew instant acclaim for  his fresh interpretations of contemporary Japanese dining and sushi.

Seasonality and respect for ingredients comes through at Uchi as well as his other restaurant Uchiko, which opened in 2010.  Tyson Cole will soon open another location in Houston.

After all–why should Austin have all the fun?

Not everyone who dines at his restaurants “gets” what he’s attempting to do. “I hear people say things like, ‘it’s so expensive,’ or ‘I ate ten things at that place and still had to go out and get a Subway sandwich afterwards.” Tyson Cole takes it in stride, because he does know where he is, “We’re in Texas for God’s sake!”

But when someone does get what he’s trying to do with fresh seasonal food that’s treated with respect, “they really get it.” And that puts a smile on this sushi master’s face.

Uchi: The Cookbook

ENTER YOUR HAIKU IN THE COMMENTS TO WIN UCHI: THE COOKBOOK

Tyson wrote Uchi: The Cookbook, with Jessica Dupuy (2011 UT Press), which came out earlier this year. It offers readers his philosophy about the food he makes, and–of course–recipes. He’ll be at the Texas Book Festival in the Central Market Cooking Tent on the grounds of the State  Capitol. His presentation kicks off at 11 a.m.

RULES:

1. Must be 18 years old to enter.
2. Only entries received by 6 p.m. CST Monday, October 24, 2011 are eligible to win.
3. Contest open to US residents only.
4. Must leave a food related haiku [which is short form Japanese poetry consisting of 17 syllables in three lines: five syllables in the first line, seven in the second and five in the last line] in the comments about your to be eligible to win.
5. Only one entry per person and/or per household/ or IP address.
6. Must include your name and valid email address.
7. Only entries from people who haven’t won anything from Field & Feast in the last three months are eligible to win.
8. Winner will be selected at random after 6 p.m. CST Monday, October 24, 2011, and contacted via email by the show’s producer to coordinate delivery of book.

Here’s a sample haiku:

Little tasty fish
Once swimming so fast and free
Now you are sushi

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