TRAVERSE CITY — Brent Shafer spent the past five or six years working at Red Ginger, but recently decided to start his own sushi bar: The Dojo.
"I was looking for something a little more intimate," Shafer said. "I've been rolling sushi for 18 years now. It's been a dream of mine to own something since I was little."
The Dojo opened Dec. 5 at the former site of Long Lake Elementary School. Shafer said they share the culinary campus with Food for Thought.
His space includes about eight seats on the sushi bar "with room to expand," he said. He aims to add tables and staff members. Once that happens, he said he will introduce items like potstickers to the menu.
But for now, he makes and serves several varieties of sushi — the "normal, run-of-the-mill ones" like California and veggie rolls as well as "things I've created."
Shafer said his tuna zuke is "a tuna marinated in soy." The seven-spice tuna — a popular order — is made with avocado, cucumber and mango and topped with a citrus-soy sauce. Additionally, the gojira roll features unagi (eel), avocado, cucumber and scallions. Shafer said this roughly translates to "gorilla-whale" in Japanese. He uses togarashi, a chili powder-based spice, "to give it a kick."
The menu also includes a section of nigiri and sashimi items. Nigiri is rice and raw fish, while sashimi is usually just the protein.
All sauces are made in house and nearly everything is gluten free, Shafer added.
"I even make my own mayo and my own aioli," Shafer said. "Everything's got a little twist of me. It's made to order; everything is fresh. Come sit at the bar and watch me do it."
Randy Shafer, Brent's father, said they have been busy so far with their family-run business. He said being social with the customers is "what we're all about."
He said customers know what to expect if they have had sushi before, as it is a "specialty." Though he said he is "not a huge sushi lover," he likes the seared salmon roll.
Brent said the eatery is named "The Dojo" because of his experience as a chef.
"The dojo just means meditation or practice," he explained. "You start with the first part of the day, the lunch hour, and at dinner time, take those practices and put them to test."
The Dojo is open for dine in or takeout from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday at 7738 N. Long Lake Road. Though the eatery is closed on Saturdays and Sundays, Shafer offers catering services.
[Originally published online and in print Dec. 31, 2022]
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