How Sushi Discovery is Bringing Authentic Sushi to The North East
Meet the brains behind the business that's bringing authentic sushi to Northumberland
Originally from Japan, Mako has spent much of her life travelling the globe (China, Istanbul, Singapore, Australia), and building a career in law, but food has always had a special place in her heart. ‘On my mum’s side there’s a history of food businesses in Japan, so I grew up in that environment surrounded by my mum and grandma,’ she explains. ‘It runs in my blood. I was in corporate law firms for many years, but also wanted to be doing something interpersonal.’
After meeting and marrying a North East lad in Singapore and relocating to Northumberland, during Covid Mako got her chance to turn her sushi dreams into reality. ‘I found the opportunity to go into food because people got into culinary things because we couldn't travel or go anywhere,’ she explains, reflecting on the time when everything from sourdough starters to pasta-making crazes swept the nation. ‘I wanted to do something for Japanese cuisine, so I set it up as Sushi Discovery in 2020.’
‘I wasn’t sure how many people were into sushi or eating raw fish, but I was so happy to find out that we had a demand for authentic Japanese cooking so close to home’
Initially, Sushi Discovery began as a catering business, helped along by local breweries who were thrilled to find Mako and her food right on their doorstep – a departure from the food usually available in the area. However, it wasn’t long before Mako began sharing her skills with others. ‘The cooking classes were actually the thing I really wanted to do from the beginning,’ she says. ‘I started classes in 2021 and now I’ve taught more than 250 people. I wasn’t sure how many people were into sushi or eating raw fish, but I was so happy to find out that we had a demand for authentic Japanese cooking so close to home.’
For Mako, connection is key when it comes to teaching her sushi classes in Northumberland (at Acklington Village Hall) and Newcastle (at Hoults Yard). ‘That is my top priority,’ she says. ‘I really focus on hands-on experiences so I do demonstrations and try to make it very interactive. I let all my students do everything for themselves, so it’s not only about coming and making sushi, but they can also make really nice memorable moments with friends and family.’
Any chef will tell you that the quality of the fish is essential when making sushi, and it’s something that Mako takes seriously, given that at the end of a lesson, students take home around 30 pieces of sushi each. ‘I obviously source my ingredients locally as much as possible,’ she says. ‘For fish, I go to North Shields Fish Quay and sometimes Amble as well. It’s important to get to know the fishmongers. They know me and they know exactly what I want and what I’m using the fish for.’
Looking to the future, Mako refuses to compromise on the personal touch of her classes for the sake of expansion. ‘I do enjoy keeping it small and within my reach because I want to really convey the skill, experience and cultural significance of sushi. I want to be able to tell them by myself and I don’t want to set up something big and then have people miss out on information and miss out on the personal touch.’
But that’s not to say this one-woman operation doesn’t have plans. ‘In terms of the content, I’m planning to launch more educational content for learning like languages, travel tips, and make it more accessible for everyone. Committing to sushi making classes, you might realise you don’t like it and some people don’t even eat sushi – but they may be really interested in the culture. A lot of people tell me that they’re planning to go to Japan, and ask me for advice. I’m trying to expand my business towards that.
‘It’s the feeling of belonging to the community because I’m a foreigner and I come from thousands of miles away, and this is a way for me to be part of the community. When I do sushi classes, I become the one to build a community for other people. That’s the best take away from my business.’
Find out more about Mako’s upcoming lessons at sushidiscovery.co.uk.
