KNOWvember Day Nineteen: Jason

If you knew anything about me, you would already know that I don’t like sushi. Really, it’s not the raw fish but the seaweed I don’t like. What I do like is supporting the small businesses in my community. And if I am going to face my uncomfortableness for KNOWvember then I might as face the music and go meet Jason, the new owner of O Sumo Sushi.  

For all my Irish family and friends, this is not an Irish Sushi joint…although I wonder what that might look like. In Japanese, the “o sumo” is the one who wins the top prize at a sumo tournament. It means champion. That is the goal for Jason, to be a sushi champion. Which is kind of funny seeing that he was teaching golf when his mom asked him to go to sushi school so he could help with the family business. Twenty years later, he is opening his own restaurant.

​​Jason assured me there was plenty on the menu that I could enjoy that wasn’t sushi or didn’t have seaweed. In fact, as he started to rattle off all that was being created behind the sushi bar my mouth began to water. Had I brought my wallet with me, I am sure I would still be eating instead of writing. Then I asked him his favorite thing, which was sea urchin, and I thought maybe just taking the first step into this newly remodeled building was good enough for now.
 
Here’s a fun fact. Six years ago, Jason actually worked at that very restaurant, Sumo Sushi. (Again, “o sumo” means the champion). He was only there for a few months as a sushi chef before getting a better job at a better restaurant. When his fish distributor told him that his old boss was letting the business go, Jason jumped at the opportunity. 
 
Like all new businesses, Jason has struggled to launch, with business being up and down. Yet he was more than happy to take the time to talk with me. And that says something about his priorities.  So I feel good about promoting his business, even if only one person reads it and goes…then maybe they will tell one person who will go and so on. 
 
When I asked him to tell me something about himself, he didn’t know what to say. He is 44 years old, the oldest of three kids, and grew up in the San Diego area. But he couldn’t help but go back to talking about his restaurant, “Once you come in and enjoy my food then you know me.”  

I may not like sushi, but I like him. And you can bet I will be back to learn more about him. One bite at a time.