Sushi takes on an international flavor

— -- Sushi lovers dining at the new Hachi restaurant at Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas can construct their meals of Japanese delicacies from a wide-ranging menu that includes 30 types of nigiri and sashimi, four dozen hand rolls and tempuras, and more than 30 sakes.

The most diverse aspect of the restaurant, however, isn't the food but the people who prepare it. The three top managers are a Filipino, a Mexican and a Brit, and only two of the other nine chefs are Japanese.

The multicultural lineup is somewhat unusual in the tradition-steeped realm of Japanese restaurants, but it's becoming the norm as the demand for sushi grows.

"This may be the first time it's ever happened that a Mexican guy is in charge of Japanese sushi chefs," says Linda Rodriguez, Hachi's Filipino executive chef, referring to Cesario Luna. "But so far, so good. They're taking the lead and following him."

The hiring decisions took into account not only talent and experience but also the increasingly short supply of Japanese-born, formally trained sushi chefs across the country. Rodriguez was trained by Nobu Matsuhisa of Nobu fame and has worked for years with Luna, who trained with Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto.

Over the past decade, the number of Japanese restaurants in the USA has doubled to more than 9,000, according to trade publication Japanese Restaurant News, and Japanese cuisine's popularity also has spread globally. At the same time, Japan's population has been declining for decades, resulting in a smaller pool of candidates willing to undergo the five to 10 years of training required to become a top sushi chef.

In Japan, apprentices may spend two or three years doing menial kitchen tasks, then learning to make sushi rice. It can take many more years to learn knife techniques, how to select and prepare fresh fish, and how to create the basic repertoire of dishes. Absorbing the historical, social and artistic aspects of the profession takes additional time.

A trained chef desiring to work in the USA may have to wait three to five years for a work permit.