The Chef

Narito Ishii (石井誠人)

Narito Ishii is a Sydney-based fish expert who inspires either fandom or fear depending on whether you're tasting his seafood or trying to sell it to him. Originally from Kyushu, Japan, he arrived in Sydney in 1998 and began working as a delivery driver for a seafood wholesaler supplying Japanese restaurants.Over nearly two decades, he has been mentored and tutored by some of the best Japanese chefs in Australia.

Now operating from Pyrmont Seafood at Sydney Fish Market, Ishii supplies fish to the city's top Japanese restaurants. Every morning at 5.30am, before the auction, he texts 10 or 12 chefs about what fish are available. In Sydney's omakase scene, five of the most revered chefs all source their fish from Ishii.

As Ishii puts it: "The fish decides the quality of the restaurant."