A Brazilian chef who works at a restaurant located in the south of Belgium won first place in this year's World Sushi Cup in Japan last month, beating more than 250 masters from around the world.
This year marked the fifth time Jefferson Elias Ribeiro Da Silva, or "chef Tom" as his team calls him, competed to become the sushi master among non-Japanese chefs. This year, the sushi master, who works at the restaurant Masary's to the south of Mons, was crowned the world's champion when it comes to preparing the dish.
For the last five years, Chef Tom has been ranked in Japan's top 10 sushi makers and last year he won the Signature Sushi Prize at the European sushi championship in Munich. He is also certified by the renowned World Sushi Skills Institute of the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture.
Jefferson Elias Ribeiro Da Silva (left) at the award ceremony. Credit: Masary's
The WSSI Sushi World Championship Japan 2023 was held on 19 and 20 January 2024 at the Toyosu Seafood Market in Tokyo and determines the world’s best foreign sushi chef by having chefs compete in sushi hygiene and cooking techniques among others.
Chef Tom has worked at Masary's, which is lauded far and wide for its passion and dedication to the culinary arts, for around 1.5 years. The restaurant offers fusion cuisine, combining Japanese and Latin American traditions, which the chef specialises in.
With this highly regarded title, the chef is likely to be courted by restaurants all over the world, however, he told RTBF that he feels at home in Mons and even plans to enrich his sushi with local ingredients such as beer and potatoes.
