Profiles: Etsuji Umezu

By Wanda A. Adams
Food Editor

Place of birth: Osaka, Japan

Age: 39

In Hawai'i: three years

Culinary Background: He trained in Japan and has worked in the United States since 1986, at Manele Bay Hotel the past three years.

Style of cooking: "Japanese culinary arts with a traditional French foundation"

I love to cook with: "fresh seafood"

My favorite decadent meal: "sushi and foie gras"

My comfort food: "ramen noodles"

My favorite cookbook: "Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art" by Shizuo Tsuji

Favorite kitchen tool: "the Microplane"

When I'm hungry, I grab: "chazuke — hot tea and rice"

When I'm not working, I like to: "play golf and sleep"

When I go out to eat, I like to: "Enjoy the moment"

The chef I admire the most: Hiroshi Noguchi, executive chef at Renaissance Orlando

The weirdest ingredient I've used: "Pickled plum (umeboshi)"

My dream job: "To have my own 10-room hotel to serve whatever I want to cook for the day"

If I could invite three people, living or dead, to share a meal with me: "Hiroshi Noguchi, Edwin Goto, Nobu Matsuhisa — all of who have influenced me"