Emi Sushi is Rolling in Georgetown
by Terry Trost
Over the past 15 years, Shozo Sakata has been blazing a sushi trail down the Grand Strand, and now his simple, fresh yet shockingly delicious sushi arrives to the Georgetown Waterfront.
Landing in Myrtle Beach’s Restaurant Row from Chicago in 1995, he and wife Keiko ran a 35-seat sushi bar called Daruma that inadvertently became the spot to be by restaurant industry folks, entertainers and local sushi enthusiasts. At 2am when most of us were curled to our pillows, Shozo’s sushi bar was crammed full of local restaurateurs, comedians, night club personnel, and musicians. According to Shozo the sushi bar became a place where service industry personnel talked shop and to unwind, taking in a light meal and a hot sake nightcap.
In 1999, he partnered up with his good friend Bruce Rowland, a Culinary Institute of America graduate with a knack for imaginative cuisine that utilized many local and seasonal components. As the chefs brought together the finest in Eastern and Western cuisine, the Murrells Inlet institution known as Hanas was set in motion and delivered what many believed to be the finest, most creative meal in the area.
By the end of 2004, Bruce and his wife relocated to Virginia while Shozo and family opened Emi, an Asian Bistro and Sushi Bar. Food columnist Russ Lane of the Sun News gave Emi his “Kicks Picks” for Best Place for Sushi on the Beach describing his meals at Emi as “Sheer Excellence”.
Over the past year, after realizing that dining habits have changed alongside the economy, the family closed the restaurant at the end of their 5-year lease. “Although these are challenging times, there are a lot of opportunities out there if we are creative and think somewhat outside the box,” maintains Ben Cachila, Shozo’s son-in-law and operator of the business. “It’s good to have some fluidity these days without all the daunting overhead of a fine dining restaurant, that way we can always be ready to pick up catering jobs or sushi-for-hire jobs.”
After a one month hiatus from the restaurant, Cachila began pitching these sushi-for-hire contracting ideas to friends in the industry and today there is more demand than there are Emi Sushi Chefs. “I get phone calls almost every day with restaurants or even private homes that want to do a sushi party or event, it is really unexpected. There are even folks that are calling about regular catered non-sushi events.”
Subsequently, staffing and training has been on the top of their mind these weeks. Cachila has been fortunate in finding a few experienced sushi chefs who are easily adapting to Shozo’s detailed style of preparing sushi with a “Simplicity is best” philosophy.
At 64 years old, Shozo considers himself at the peak of his game, a typical outlook for aged Japanese men. As an avid runner, he keeps up impressive weekly mileage taking Sunday long runs up in the 10 mile range. Keeping fit helps him keep pace with hyper-active grandchildren but most importantly, keep his energy levels strong enough to endure the demands of the food service business.
As the concept gets rolling, Emi’s sushi is appearing at various places on the strand with two restaurants in Myrtle Beach, one in Murrells Inlet and beginning December 4th, they will be rolling on the second floor of the Goat Island Grill on the Historical Georgetown Waterfront.
Goat Island Grill
Thurs thru Sat after 5pm, beginning Friday December 4th
719 Front St
Georgetown, SC 29440
(843) 527-3500
Salt Creek Café
Serving Sushi after 4pm, 7days a week.
4660 Highway 17
Murrells Inlet, SC 29576-5016
(843) 357-2433
Drink!
Call for details on hours and special events.
503 8th Ave North
Myrtle Beach, SC
(843)-916-2277
Ron Jon’s Beer, Burgers (& Sometimes Sushi)
Tues thru Thurs after 6pm
3218 Waccamaw Blvd
Myrtle Beach, SC
(843) 236-8001
