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The Niwaki Hosted the First European Sushi Championship

The Niwaki Hosted the First European Sushi Championship

The ultimate Japanese destination in the Principality of Monaco, The Niwaki restaurant gathered candidates from ten European countries for the competition. They represented Monaco, Italy, France, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Norway, Spain, Portugal, and Belgium.

The honorary jury was comprised of international professionals: Mr. Hirotoshi Ogawa (president of the WSSI – World Sushi Skills Institute), Chef Kodera (sushi pioneer in Monaco), Chef Ippei Uemura (Chef of the Tabi restaurant in Marseille), Mr. Patrick Duval (founder of the Wasabi sushi school in Paris), Japanese writer Chihiro Masui and the MOF potter Stéphane Montalto.

Jury, Photographer: Fabbio Galatioto

Michael Pankar, the French candidate, won the trophy, and Italian Diego Vianello was ranked second, followed by Sorin Zaharia (Romania) and Shandhi Peter de Costa (Poland), tied for third.

Michael Pankar, Photographer: Fabbio Galatioto

The contest was divided into two 60-minutes parts. The first round was the preparation of raw materials when the chef must present to the jury all the products to be used during the next stage. The fish will have to be cut in saku. During the creative test, the chef had to offer on one or more plates 40 to 50 pieces of sushi, including nigiri, maki, uramaki, kazari-maki, kazari-sushi, and vegetarian sushi, as well as 15 pieces of sashimi. Also, the candidates presented two creative sushi as a “signature” on a separate plate for tasting. One of the “signature” sushi had to present a vegetarian recipe using Kopper Cress products.

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Photographer: Fabbio Galatioto

The Niwaki restaurant is a specialist in “Japanese couture cuisine,” a Monegasque establishment featuring a sushi counter headed by Chef Wagner Spadacio, winner of the titles of vice-world champion (2018) and French sushi champion (2017).

The Niwaki restaurant was born from the passion Samy Sass has for Japan. Visiting the land of the rising sun multiple times, he discovered and explored the Nippon culture and started his fascination with Japanese gardens, particularly the niwaki pruning art. And it led Samy Sass with his two partners, Dean Carr, and Daryl Foster, to the opening of The Niwaki, a trendy chic and lavish restaurant nestled in the heart of Larvotto.

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