The resilient journey of Chef Juwel and Oshi Sushis

Maki rolls and prawn tempuras are popular dishes at Oshi Sushis.

In March this year, young chef Juwel Khan was laid off from Tao Town, in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Subsequently, instead of switching careers, he started his own online shop, Oshi Sushis, over two months back.

The word 'Oshi' means to push an opponent down during sumo wrestling. Juwel learned the word while working at Sumo Sushi, and decided to name his shop accordingly.

He arrived in Dhaka from his hometown Bhola in 2004, in pursuit of a job he can learn and adapt to. His professional career took off as a kitchen helper at the Dhaka-based Korean restaurant, Arirang. He has been in the food industry for around ten years, and he has been working as a chef since the past six years. He started off with cooking barbeque meals mostly, but after finding the opportunity to learn to make sushi, he never looked back. Throughout the years, he has worked at ten restaurants.

Juwel explained that the network among chefs is significant to learning cooking and finding jobs in the industry. "I had the chance to learn from a Korean chef and chef Gautom, a trusted acquaintance of mine. However, I have learnt the most about cooking from my  brother, Abul Kalam Rana, who worked at the restaurant Umai for a long time," he says. "Rana has also worked in Nigeria and Afghanistan and he is currently helping me to run Oshi Sushis. My other brother is also a chef and he is a part of the shop as well."

Juwel experienced discrepancy in the form of unreasonable working hours as an assistant chef, while the head chefs could come and leave like clockwork. He also faced negligence in the care for chefs during the pandemic, until he was let go from Tao Town.

Now, as the owner of a food outlet himself, Juwel supports several others who lost their jobs due to the Covid-19 crisis by giving them a place to work and showcase their culinary skills. He ensures equivalent working hours for all the staff members. Oshi Sushis also rented a proper commercial kitchen recently. Three people work in the kitchen while two others handle the delivery process. They also have freelance drivers for the home deliveries. Orders have been pouring in at Oshi Sushis since their inception, and for Juwel, the success has been exciting and humbling.

Chef Juwel Khan

He further explained that the palate of Bangladeshis is inclined more towards the Asian fusion maki, as opposed to the authentic Japanese and Korean sushi. "My priority for now is to provide customers with the best Asian fusion maki, knowing that I had done the same as one of the founding chefs of Sushi Samurai four years ago," he adds. However, I am able to do so at a more reasonable price with Oshi Sushis."

When asked about places he would like to learn more from, the young chef said that he would like to visit Japan, the birth place of sushi, to expand his knowledge of the cuisine.  

Moving forward, Juwel dreams of turning his online business into a proper restaurant. He hopes for Oshi Sushis to do better after the pandemic subsides, since sales in the industry have been struggling. He may not be earning as much as he used to for now, but his aspirations, humility and experience are pivotal in leading him to success.