The Student News Site of the Latin School of Chicago

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The Student News Site of the Latin School of Chicago

The Forum

The Student News Site of the Latin School of Chicago

The Forum

Not "Mr. Pak's Sushi": Renowned Sushi Chef Visits Latin Cafeteria

Chris Maurice  Columnist/Staff Writer [caption id="attachment_3731" align="alignnone" width="300"]Chef Chan's Sushi Combination Chef Chan’s Sushi Combination[/caption] On Friday, February 7, Latin School got a special treat in the upper school cafeteria. Chef Hari Chan joined the Quest Food Service crew and took over the action station. I got the opportunity to sit down with Chef Chan and general manager of Quest Food Service, George Madzhirov after the hectic lunch blocks. Chef Hari Chan has had eighteen years of sushi-making experience and has been involved in creating and training many high-end sushi restaurants and their workers. For a lunch block, Chef Chan brought his skill and delicious sushi to the cafeteria, along with longer-than-normal lines for five pieces of sushi. Freshman Ana Siracusa was astonished at how good the sushi was, telling me, as she finished her last California roll, “That was some of the best sushi I’ve had in my life!”  George said they sold upwards of a hundred plates of sushi. Chef Chan said that he was glad to see such a positive turnout and review of his sushi. Chef Chan also says that he enjoyed cooking at a school, versus a restaurant, because he was able to communicate with and see his customers. George Madzhirov said that Quest’s mission is to provide locally grown produce, and the product to be made in house. When Quest first started making lunch at Latin, there were Frito- lays chips, packaged cookies, and plenty of other store brought food. “It seems like a simple idea to start,” says Mr. Madzhirov, “but it becomes a difficult idea to put into place.” Quest has since begun to make its own chips, cookies, pizza, yogurt, and many other foods inside their kitchen—everything but sushi. Last Friday was an experiment for what’s to come to the Latin school cafeteria. Quest will begin to implement the skills that Chef Chan brought to us.  If all works, our chef Chan will begin to train and assist Quest in getting the proper ingredients to start making their own sushi. That means no more Mr. Pak’s Sushi. No word on when they will begin to sell it, but George said, “We don’t know of another school in the country that makes its own sushi.” We grow our own mushrooms, harvest our own vegetables, make our own cookies, and compost our own waste. You never know what the Latin School cafeteria is going to bring next.      ]]>

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The Student News Site of the Latin School of Chicago
Not "Mr. Pak's Sushi": Renowned Sushi Chef Visits Latin Cafeteria