Sushi. A meticulous, detailed and beautiful concept to prepare and eat. So how does one end up being engulfed in the world of sushi as a chef? After talking with Yuki Yama’s sous chef Cedric Woodward about his story, it became clear that it is really like anything else. You begin with the passion, and you build off of it, soaking everything and anything up that you can. His passion in the beginning? Restaurants.
When asked the question, “have you always wanted to be a sushi chef?” Woodward replied with a simple explanation. “It was somewhat accidental” he said. “Growing up in New Hampshire, there wasn’t a lot of exposure to sushi. I just always wanted to work in restaurants. We didn’t go out to eat much, but I loved working in restaurants.” While working for a very successful and busy restaurant group in New Hampshire’s college town of Hanover where they would do 700 to 800 covers, it started to become his educational experience that some may argue can only be found through culinary school, but every sense of reality, it’s the experience in the kitchen that is the most vital when it comes to learning how to cook (I will vouch for that). “It became my training. I did everything and it became my school. I fell in love and became addicted to the whole thing. The people, the energy, and the pace.”
It all began at Sushi Maru, Cedric’s first job in a sushi restaurant. Maru, located next to what was then Albertson’s and what is now A Fresh Market, was a casual, local spot where his brother had a job working as a server so he figured he would jump into the mix. Cedric got his foot in the door and eventually started training behind the sushi bar making quick, good rolls. He then gained the opportunity to help open Yuki Arashi which presented the opportunity to work with different chefs with different techniques, each one helping shape the chef he is today. “Matt Fischer (long time Park City 
sushi chef) really refined my sushi techniques. Kirk Terashima and Todd Hashimoto re-worked a lot of my technique.” When Terashima left to open Dojo in Salt Lake City, Cedric went with him for one year to keep learning under his knowledgeable watch and continue his mentorship. From there, Cedric came back up the hill to really put his experience to work and helped open Montage’s sushi bar where he took a lot out of their training program. Next up, Hapa Grill which two weeks later would become Sushi Blue with the purchase of Bill White Enterprises. Cedric helped open Sushi Blue as sous chef.
By this time, as you can tell by the story bouncing around, Cedric had gained some immense experience in the sushi world. Chef Kirk Terashima had also returned to Park City and reopened the former Yuki Arashi as Yuki Yama. Cedric decided to approach chef Terashima about any work opportunity and ended up getting hired on at Yuki Yama as sous chef. Now, the two are constantly and creatively bouncing off of each other. One of Yuki Yama’s most popular summer dishes, Lobster Curry Soba Noodles, was created by Cedric. According to restaurant manager and owner Matt Baydala, it constantly sells out. For good reason. It looks amazing. The lobster is brought in fresh from Maine, and he makes the Thai curry paste homemade at the restaurant.
Now, currently still working as Sous Chef of Yuki Yama sushi, I had to ask him if he ever makes sushi at home. “Nope. Sushi is a bit more difficult to make at home. My wife loves to cook, and we eat more comfort food at home,” he said. His favorite restaurant to eat at in town? Handle. “I had the opportunity to work in the kitchen with them, and I just like those guys. They like cooking good food and cooking it well. It’s as simple as that.”
It’s refreshing to meet a chef who believes in such simple concepts. Make sure you head to Yuki Yama to try his lobster soba noodle dish and talk him up! He’s a truly great guy.
