Once upon a time, there was a fishmonger. Every morning, he would wake up very early and go to the fish market, buy lots of fish and sell it at his stand in the open-air market near his home.
The fishmonger had learned the trade from his father, who had learned it from his father before him. It was a simple family business, and so it continued for many years… Until one day, some Japanese-food lovers appeared at the fishmonger’s stall and asked him to not only sell the fish, but also to clean and serve it to them, so that they could eat it right then and there, in Japanese style.
The fishmonger thought this was a brilliant idea. So he hired a sushi chef and began to offer some sashimi and beer to customers at Praia da Ribeira Street Market, in the district of Ilha do Governador in Rio’s north zone.
That was seven years ago. The idea quickly turned into a profitable business, and today, fishmonger Arnaldo Barcellos is a fixture of the Rio food scene. His now-famous Sushi Barcellos operation is the sole seafood stand to also offer freshly made sushi and sashimi every day. He leads a crew of 12 sushi chefs – all trained by Japanese experts – who work with him at different street markets around Rio Before he started making sushi, Barcellos barely sold 200 kilos of fish a day; now he sells 400 kilos.
Almost all the fish Barcellos sells come from the traditional São Pedro Fish Market, located in the neighboring city of Niterói. From time to time, he hires fishermen to bring him something different and hard to find, such as mahi mahi. His menu offers traditional sushi preparations of tuna, salmon and shrimp sushi, but also dishes made with more unusual species, such as octopus, ray, dogfish and bluefish.
Recently, Barcellos has started to run a food truck, selling sushi at street parties all over the city and sometimes outside of town. The food truck is serving as a springboard to making improvements to the menu. In addition to the usual makimono rolls, Barcellos is now offering spring rolls and hand rolls, including a few made with cream cheese – a must for Brazilian tastes.
In spite of all his success selling sushi, Barcellos continues to lead the humble life of a fishmonger, living on Ilha do Governador among sailors and fishermen, waking early each day to the smell of the sea and to get to the markets. “The idea of making sushi transformed my business,” he told us. “My life now is as a sushi chef and also as a teacher of this trade. Since I began, I’ve trained 30 sushi chefs, most of whom now work in important Japanese restaurants in Rio. But I will always see myself as a fishmonger.”
Published on April 03, 2015