Marking 20 years
of bold journalism,
reader supported.
Life
Food

VIDEO: Sushi Women

One of few traditionally-trained female sushi chefs in Vancouver, Etsuko Needham charts new waters.

Garrett Hinchey, Meghan Mast, Zoe Tennant and Allison Griner 23 Mar 2013TheTyee.ca

Zoe Tennant, Garrett Hinchey, Meghan Mast and Allison Griner are students at the University of British Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism.

Sushi bars are ubiquitous in Vancouver. During any given lunch or dinner rush, you'll find hundreds of sushi chefs rolling hundreds of sushi rolls. But amidst this sushi sea, you'd be hard pressed to find a female sushi chef working behind the bar.

Why are female sushi chefs so rare? This short film poses this seldom asked question and explores the Japanese traditions that have prevented women from becoming sushi chefs -- women like Etsuko Needham.

Needham is the only female executive sushi chef in Vancouver and one of only a handful of female sushi chefs across the country. Raised in Japan where it was impossible for her to train as a sushi chef, Needham moved to Vancouver, opened her own restaurant and hired male sushi chefs to train her.

Sushi Women looks at the past, present, and future of sushi chefdom and shows how one woman is challenging tradition and charting new waters.  [Tyee]

Read more: Food

  • Share:

Facts matter. Get The Tyee's in-depth journalism delivered to your inbox for free

Tyee Commenting Guidelines

Comments that violate guidelines risk being deleted, and violations may result in a temporary or permanent user ban. Maintain the spirit of good conversation to stay in the discussion.
*Please note The Tyee is not a forum for spreading misinformation about COVID-19, denying its existence or minimizing its risk to public health.

Do:

  • Be thoughtful about how your words may affect the communities you are addressing. Language matters
  • Challenge arguments, not commenters
  • Flag trolls and guideline violations
  • Treat all with respect and curiosity, learn from differences of opinion
  • Verify facts, debunk rumours, point out logical fallacies
  • Add context and background
  • Note typos and reporting blind spots
  • Stay on topic

Do not:

  • Use sexist, classist, racist, homophobic or transphobic language
  • Ridicule, misgender, bully, threaten, name call, troll or wish harm on others
  • Personally attack authors or contributors
  • Spread misinformation or perpetuate conspiracies
  • Libel, defame or publish falsehoods
  • Attempt to guess other commenters’ real-life identities
  • Post links without providing context

LATEST STORIES

The Barometer

Are You Concerned about AI?

Take this week's poll