OCCUPATION: Sushi Chef

Name: Shin Okuno

Company: Restaurant Horikawa, Santa Ana

Thumbs up: “I like making sushi, talking with customers and finding ways to appeal to their special tastes. When they are happy, I’m happy.”

Thumbs down: “We work long hours and sometimes I don’t have enough time to spend with my family.”

Next step: “I would like to own my own restaurant.”

Advice: “Sushi chefs have to know how to communicate with customers and help them have fun. Sushi is still new to some Americans, and you have to teach them about it.”

Salary range: $1,500 to $4,000 a month (including tips), depending on experience.

Hours: Most sushi chefs work 10-hour days, with evening and weekend shifts required.

Educational and training requirements: In the United States, sushi chefs are trained as apprentices at Japanese restaurants. Within a year or more, depending on their progress, apprentices can advance to assistant chef.

Expected demand: Steady, but not increasing.

Job description: Sushi chefs work at restaurant sushi bars, preparing raw fish dishes for customers and socializing with them much the same way a bartender does in a cocktail lounge. Sushi is prepared in front of the customers, adding a visual and conversational element to the experience.

For more information: In the United States, most training takes place under the apprenticeship of an experienced sushi chef. Contact the Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education in Washington at (202) 331-5990.