New York City College of Technology, CUNY
Department of Hospitality Management
Janet Lefler Dining Room
Memorandum
To: Professor Abreu, Director of Service
From: Mary’s Anne T. Couloute, Student
Date: September 27, 2018
Re: New York Times Pete Wells
Shoji at 69 Leonard street is a deserted restaurant according to Pete Wells. Wells also called it a one man show, run by Derek Wilcox. “You might think of this as the equivalent of earning a masters degree followed by a PhD in Japanese cuisine”(Wells, 1). Wells stated this because Mr. Wilcox grew up in Virginia, but was able to cook at Kaiseki restaurant in Kyoto called kikunoi for 7 years, then 3 more years in a traditional sushi parlor, in Ginza district Tokyo. If you show some curiosity then you’ll be able to get a short education by him. “Om this August night….. Schooling on the pleasures of summer sushi”(Wells, 1).
When it came to the food, Mr. Wilcox was able to show off the uncanny harmony of Urchin and eggplants and introduce a minor theme of the summer urchin harvest in Japan. Wilcox begin preparing dishes for wells and also bringing knowledge about it at the same time. For instance, when he told Wells about the hamo he was using to reduce the tiny bones to edible smithereens, which he stated that the first one was forgotten in the 19 century. The taste of the food seems to have matched Wells taste buds since he doesn’t want a striped bass made any other way then how Mr. Wilcox’s made it. Wilcox also gets certain things like bio-luminescent firefly squid in springs from Japaneses bays.Overall the service was fine for Wells and he wouldn’t want to change of because he feels like it fits the theme and bond that’s made with Mr. Wilcox.
I would definitely love to visit Shoji at 69 Leonard Street because I love sushi, and would love to get some knowledge about the dish and experience of Mr. Wilcox.
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