Nozomu Abe, the renowned sushi chef, remembers telling his family in elementary school that he wanted to make pizza for a living.
But fish, it seems, was his destiny. His family ran a seafood business in Hokkaido, the northernmost prefecture in Japan, where he grew up. After some culinary training in Sapporo, Mr. Abe moved to Tokyo and learned to make sushi in the Edomae style, which was developed centuries ago before refrigeration as a way of curing the fish before serving it.
He moved to the United States in 2007. After working at Midtown’s Sushiden, he opened Sushi Noz, a restaurant on the Upper East Side, with partners in 2018. In 2020, it won a Michelin star.
Although he works some on Sundays, Mr. Abe, 39, said he was trying to relax as much as possible before he and his wife, Nao Abe, 30, have their first child.
They live in Long Island City, Queens.
BEANS AND BREAD I usually wake up around 8:30 or 9 a.m., which is when I normally wake up during the weekday. Nao usually makes us natto bread for breakfast, which is fermented soybeans, with mayonnaise and egg on shokupan, or Japanese milk bread. It’s my favorite.
WATERWORKS Before I start working, I usually swim for about 30 minutes, then hit the sauna or Jacuzzi. I might repeat this several times throughout the morning. It’s my attempt to clear my head and meditate before my day gets busier.
ROOFTOP NOTES I start thinking about the menu for Monday and generally for the week before the Toyosu fish market in Tokyo opens later in the day. I usually head to the roof deck of my building to jot down my ideas in a notebook, make a wish list and write buying instructions for my fish broker.
THE HOOD I live in Long Island City, which is a growing, evolving part of New York. It’s not historic, say, like Harlem, but it’s changing in its own way, kind of like myself in the U.S. There are a lot of Asians living here, which I like, but it could use some more grocery stores and restaurants.
NO MORE SKATE PARKS I used to be really into hip-hop and skateboarding when I was younger. Both were very American to me, and I devoured the culture and style. Now I’m a bit more subdued. Because of my profession, I can’t go to the skate park anymore because I don’t want to hurt my hands, but sometimes I’ll hop on my board to get provisions at the local store.
DON’T BUY THE MAGURO By midday, my fish broker starts emailing or texting. I’ll have coffee or lunch with my wife and we try to stay outside as much as we can. She’s usually reading while I go back and forth with my broker. You never know what’s available, so I trust my broker when he tells me not to buy the maguro because the quality is subpar, or the uni is too expensive. Then I have to rethink the menu amid a barrage of information. It’s stressful and it kind of never ends.
GRILLING WITH FRIENDS My building has a lot of amenities, which I take advantage of. I love to use the grill to barbecue. I often bring home whatever is left over from the restaurant, like shrimp or kama, the collar, of fish. I just use salt and pepper to season it. On occasion, we’ll invite friends to join us. Today we had the restaurant’s staff over to celebrate a business partner’s upcoming wedding.
TOGETHER TIME My wife and I might play pool or take a walk to the river to enjoy the sunset. There’s a lot of excitement and anticipation before the birth of our first child, so we’re trying to spend as much time together as we can.
EASY DINNERS Because making sushi has a lot of rules, or things you’re not allowed to do, I only cook what’s easy at home. For dinner, we cook a lot of Chinese or Italian food. I love that grocery stores in New York always have fresh pasta to purchase.
THE THOUGHTS KEEP COMING My wife usually picks what TV shows to watch. Recently we’ve been watching “Who Killed Sara?” on Netflix. We might unwind by listening to mellow music, like Jack Johnson. No more loud music for me. I’m in bed anywhere between 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. as I’m always thinking about and tweaking our menu. It’s like you’re always on deadline.
Sunday Routine readers can follow Nozomu Abe on Instagram @noznyc or his restaurant @sushinoznyc.
