Our Grade 11 Business Management class headed out on their first field trip of the year to supplement their lessons on Entrepreneurship, using one of Vancouver’s most famous sushi chefs as a case study.
The Vancouver International Film Festival 2024 Official Selection, The Chef & the Daruma portrays the life of chef Hidekazu Tojo, who, after arriving from Japan and working in Vancouver in the early 1970s, helped bring sushi to the mainstream by founding his Vancouver-based Tojo’s restaurant brand. He is also credited with inventing the California Roll.
One concept key to the IB Business Management course is sustainability. The Chef & the Daruma illustrated ecological sustainability with his value in using local and seasonal supplies and economic sustainability was made explicit by Chef Tojo’s value in succession planning and his passion for bringing people together to create food memories.
Chef Tojo demonstrated many examples of traits common to successful entrepreneurs including passion, risk-taking and perseverance, and the class took a lot from watching the film. Jon Barker said: “I was surprised to learn about the evolution of sushi’s popularity in North America and how Chef Tojo was part of this process,” and Athan Irinakis added: “I was surprised at how emotional the film was. It took us on a journey from Tojo’s career origins to where he is today in his 70s. The film serves as a reminder to follow your dreams. At the end of the day, all you have is time, so use yours wisely, try new things and live life to the fullest.”
Chef Tojo’s customers are brand loyal and a big surprise for our business students watching the film was spotting Tanya Norani, Grade 9, who featured in the film with Chef Tojo serving her at his Vancouver restaurant in both the opening and closing scenes.
Tanya said: “I have been going to Tojo’s restaurant since I was a child and my stepdad has been going to his restaurant for 40 years! We have been regular customers because of the great people who work there and because of the amazing food they serve. I also worked at the restaurant for two summers and they taught me lots of valuable skills. Tojo is a compassionate, dedicated and caring man, and we were eating in his restaurant when they were filming for the documentary.”