Itamae
An itamae 板前 (a cook, chef[1]) is a cook in a Japanese kitchen or a chef of a large restaurant. The term can be translated literally as "in front of the board," referring to a cutting board.
Itamae as sushi chef
In the western world, an itamae is often associated with sushi (also commonly referred to simply as "sushi chefs"). In Japan, becoming an itamae of sushi requires years of training and apprenticeship.
After several years of training, an apprentice may be promoted to the position of "wakiita," which translates to "near the cutting board." The wakiita's duties expand to include daily preparation of the fresh ingredients, such as preparing blocks of fish, grating ginger, and slicing scallions. Eventually, the apprentice might begin to prepare sushi for clients with take-away orders. The wakiita also learns the proper ways to interact with and treat the restaurant's customers by observing the senior itamae.
After additional years of training as a wakiita, the apprentice can be appointed an itamae, fully authorized to stand in front of the cutting board.
It is a common Japanese legend that the truly great itamae-san ("san" is an honorific suffix) should be able to create nigirizushi in which all of the rice grains face the same direction.
Itamae training is conducted all over the world, including Japan, the USA and the UK. The process can take from 2 to 20 years.
The terms “Itamae” and “Shokunin” are used as a title for the chef. “Itamae” refers to a skilled sushi chef, while "Shokunin" means simply someone skilled at a profession.
References
- Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English Dictionary, ISBN 4-7674-2015-6