Portuguese chefs Paulo Morais and Luís Barradas will be competing at the World Sushi Cup in Tokyo, Japan, on August 20-21.
The two sushi masters were ‘invited’ to enter the competition, Paulo Morais told Lusa news agency. “We both fulfilled the requested criteria and sent in a recipe,” said Morais, who boasts 25 years of experience as a sushi chef. “In the meantime, we received a message saying that we had been approved and asking if we would be interested in entering the competition”, he said.
Once colleagues in the same restaurant, Morais and Barradas will now be competing against each other and other international chefs at the sushi competition, which took place for the first time last year.
Paulo Morais is the owner and chef at Lisbon’s well-known Umai restaurant, whilst Luís Barradas is a consultant chef at the popular restaurant Sea Me, also located in the Portuguese capital. The competition will be divided into two stages: “The first comprises Edomar sushi, a Tokyo-style sushi, based on nigiri and rolls,” explained Morais. The second stage is freestyle.
The first World Sushi Cup welcomed 18 chefs from 13 countries, with Danish chef Pepi Anevski taking the first place.
To enter the contest, participants need to have at least five years of experience as sushi men in Japan or abroad.
