Marisa Baggett Hometown: Starkville, MS Born: The Year of the Dragon Education: Graduate of The California Sushi Academy
There is no love sincerer than the love of food. - - - George Bernard Shaw
Outside of sushi, Baggett still has a passion for all things sweet and writing. She muses on food through a monthly column for The Lamplighter, the monthly newspaper of Memphis's acclaimed Cooper-Young Arts District.
Baggett has also been a contributor to Grace Magazine, a Memphis-based magazine for African-American women as well as Soul Magazine, a San Fransisco based magazine.
Get behind the sushi bar perspectives, memoirs about Baggett's first restaurant adventures, the making of a sushi chef stories, and much more at her My Sushi Life Blog.
When asked When asked how she became interested in sushi, Baggett will almost always reply "How much time do you have?" At an early age, Baggett showed interest in culinary arts. Her first job as a dishwasher in a family owned Chinese restaurant was were she developed an appreciation for Asian food culture. Her enthusiasm prompted the owners to promote her from dishwasher to cook. Years later, Baggett's parents recognized her passion and dedication. At the age of 22, Baggett opened The Chocolate Giraffe restaurant in Starkville, MS. Quickly, it became known for its unique and fresh perspectives on local cuisine. The Chocolate Giraffe also served to fill voids in catering and dining needs. At the request of a client, Baggett was asked to prepare sushi for dinner party, during which time there was no local sushi bar. Baggett stepped up to the challenge. After the dinner party, news of sushi quickly caught on in the town and Baggett began to hold regular sushi nights at the restaurant. It wasn't long before she realized that she had found a new passion. Sushi and seeing more of what the culinary world had to offer was constantly on Baggett's mind.
After careful consideration, she closed The Chocolate Giraffe and moved to Memphis to work with Chef Ben Smith of Tsunami Restaurant. Being constantly surrounded by fresh, exotic seafoods and the constant exposure to cuisines of the Pacific Rim reminded Baggett of her dream of becoming a sushi chef. And after just one year, she decided to leave Tsunami and pursue her dream. With less than $300 in her pocket and no guaranteed shelter upon arrival, Baggett boarded a Greyhound bus with a one-way ticket to Los Angeles in pursuit of attending The California Sushi Academy. Despite personal dilemmas, Baggett excelled in her studies under the direction of master sushi chef and sake sommelier Toshi Sugiura and sushi chef Nobuo Kishimoto. And upon graduation, Baggett became the first African American female to graduate from the school.
Baggett returned to the South after school and took a position as sushi chef at Do Sushi Bar and Lounge. At Do, Baggett took traditional methods for preparing sushi and sashimi and gave them unique Southern twists. Her unique approach awarded her an invitation to the James Beard House in New York City to represent Do along with the chef and owner of Do's sister restaurant. During her time at Do, Baggett appeared on Good Morning Memphis, was featured in Essence magazine, was profiled in The Hiragana Times(based out of Tokyo, Japan), was listed as one of Tennessee's Top Thirty Under Thirty Leaders by Business TN magazine and received notice in The Commercial Appeal and Starkville Daily newspapers. Baggett then decided to take a break. After leaving Do, she took a few months sabbatical before re-emerging as what she coins a "freelance itamae". Currently, Baggett runs Popfish Sushi Company, a service that provides several sushi based needs including make-your-own-sushi parties, sushi classes, sushi menu development and sushi chef as entertainment catering.