Denmark's Most Experienced Sushi Chef Zoë Escher

2019: Zoë was the judge for the daily newspaper Politiken in connection with testing food for their readers.
2016: Zoë held the official opening speech and opened the fair Formland Spring in Messecenter Herning in Denmark. At the opening of the fair there were 49 people from the press, 20 VIP and 271 exhibitors.
2015: Zoë has made sushi and Japanese dishes as private dining at home of US ambassador in Denmark Rufus Gifford.
2013: Rated as Denmark’s sushi expert no. 1 by gourmet supermarket chain Irma. Zoë was also guest judget at Masterchef Denmark season 3. Zoë has made sushi and Japanese dishes as staff food to the 3 star Michelin restaurant

Zoë is known from Danish magazines and TV such as Copenhagen Food, ALT for Damerne, Berlingske, Femina, IN, Mad & Bolig, TV3 and the consumer council magazine “THINK”.

Reference: Restaurant Geranium***, A.P. Møller – Mærsk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Ikea, Novartis, Velux, Takeda Pharma, Haldore Topsøe, Dansk Byggeri, Deloitte, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Symphogen and many more.

Cooking class: Traditional Japanese cooking for beginners

April 20, 2025April 20, 2025 by Zoë Escher

Traditional Japanese cuisine is defined by carefully selected fresh ingredients, delicate flavor combinations, and a harmonious balance of textures and colors. This deep dedication to quality and detail has made Japanese food renowned and loved around the world.

What will you learn?

In this course, you will gain hands-on experience in preparing authentic and flavorful Japanese dishes, just as they are made by professional chefs in Tokyo.

You will learn how to use essential Japanese ingredients such as mirin and cooking sake, staples in the kitchens of experienced sushi chefs.

You will also gain insight into how Japanese chefs select fish, meat, vegetables, and other ingredients, and learn where and how you can source the right products yourself.

You will work with a variety of cutting and preparation techniques for handling fish, meat, and vegetables to ensure each dish is made to perfection.

Step by step, you will be guided through the preparation of three delicious Japanese dishes: crispy gyoza, a flavorful seafood noodle dish, and tender teriyaki salmon with classic Japanese sides.

Please read more about Traditional Japanese cooking class for beginners

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Zoë has held sushi courses and cooking classes for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.
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What is the best way to store sushi in a refrigerator?

April 18, 2025 by Zoë Escher

Sushi is a dish that tends to dry out easily if it is stored the wrong way.

All ingredients used in sushi are fresh and raw.
You know it from tomatoes. If you cut a tomato allow it to lie without being wrapped properly the surface will dry. The same thing happens with sushi. It does not taste very good.

What causes sushi to dry out easily is the direct contact with air.
Sushi should be stored in an airtight container. If that is not possible, let us say you bought sushi for a dinner and it takes up a lot of space in your fridge.

The next best thing to do is to wrap cling film tightly around the sushi so that no air gets in. It is important to wrap in such a way that the individual pieces of sushi do not break.

Sushi should always be eaten at room temperature. It tastes the best.
Approx. 15 minutes before you sit down to eat, you take the sushi out of the fridge and leave it on the kitchen table (without a lid).

You do not always have to buy sushi.

On the Sushi course for beginners, you learn step by step how to make tasty sushi for everyday use and parties.

Read more about Sushi course for beginners

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Zoë has held sushi courses and cooking classes for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

Cooking class: Japanese noodle soup for beginners

April 16, 2025April 16, 2025 by Zoë Escher

The cooking class Japanese noodle soup for beginners is for people who would like to learn how to make the Japanese noodle soup such as ramen soup.

A noodle soup is not a noodle soup in Japan it is the Japanese’s favorite fast food, which is healthy and stuffed with vitamins and minerals.

In this course, you will learn how to make dashi from scratch, just like Japanese chefs in Tokyo.
When you attend the course, you learn step by step, to use Japanese ingredients that give the unique flavors and aromas that know Japanese ramen soup.

You learn how to make healthy and tasty noodle soups which is very popular on a busy day.
You larn how to make Japanese stock by using traditional Japanese raw materials.
You learn how to know the difference between different kind of noodle used in noodle soup.
You work with different Japanese cooking techniques and, cut different vegetables, meats and soy products.
You learn to make 2 tasty and healthy noodle soups that are made from scratch with classical raw materials.

NOTE: This year Noodle soup course is only planned on 4 September 2021 and 13 November 2021.

Read more about the cooking class Japanese noodle soup for beginners

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Zoë has held sushi courses and cooking classes for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

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Are Japanese Gyoza Suitable as a Starter?

April 14, 2025 by Zoë Escher

A traditional Japanese meal often consists of many small dishes typically between 10 and 12.
Some of these are more suitable as appetizers than others, and one of the most popular small dishes is Japanese gyoza. These delicious dumplings are perfect both as a starter or a light main course. They can be enjoyed all year round whether on an ordinary day, with friends and family, or during festive occasions.

Gyoza actually has its roots in Chinese cuisine, where they are known as dumplings.
The variety of dumplings in China is vast and dates back hundreds of years. Over time, the dish made its way to Japan, where it was adapted to local ingredients and flavor preferences resulting in the version we know today as gyoza.

In our Traditional Japanese Cooking Class for Beginners, you will learn how to make classic gyoza entirely from scratch. You will master various cooking and hand-folding techniques and gain valuable insight into which ingredients to choose in order to achieve the best flavor and value.

Learn more about the Traditional Japanese cooking class for beginners

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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

Sushi class for beginners

April 12, 2025April 12, 2025 by Zoë Escher

This course is made for anyone who wants to learn the art of making sushi from scratch.
Regardless of whether you are a beginner or have some experience, Denmark’s most experienced Japanese trained sushi chef Zoë Escher will guide you step by step through the process of preparing delicious and authentic sushi.

You learn how to boil the perfect sushi rice.
You learn about the Japanese ingredients used for sushi.
You learn about what you should be aware of when buying fish from the fishmonger.
You learn to prepare different kinds of raw materials for sushi.
You learn to make several different kinds of tasty sushi rolls.

Please read more about the cooking class Sushi for beginners
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Zoë has held sushi courses and cooking classes for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

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What is Japanese gyoza?

April 10, 2025 by Zoë Escher

Japanese gyoza are in fact Japanese dumpings.

Originally, Japanese gyoza comes from China. China is known for making many different kinds of dumplings with fish, meat, seafood or a combination of it all.

When the Chinese dumplings came to Japan many years ago, the Chinese dumplings were adapted to Japanese cuisine. Other raw materials were used. The dough sheets used to make Japanese gyoza are made with classic ingredients used in Japanese cuisine.

Japanese chefs made their own interpretation of gyoza. It became like a banner bearer for all other gyoza that have since come into being. The Japanese chefs also developed their very own hand techniques used to fold the Japanese gyoza.

The actual preparation of gyoza is another. A gyoza must go through several steps before it is ready to be eaten.

In the Traditional Japanese food course for beginners, you will learn how to make gyoza as they are served in restaurants in Tokyo.

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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

Authentic Japanese Teriyaki sauce which you can eat with a spoon

April 4, 2025 by Zoë Escher

Teriyaki sauce has become a popular addition to many Asian dishes, and most people know it as the bottled version found in supermarkets and Asian specialty stores.

However, the homemade, authentic Japanese teriyaki sauce is a completely different experience. It’s rich, well-balanced, and so full of flavor that many of our course participants cannot resist taking a spoonful straight from the pot the first time they taste it.

In our Traditional Japanese Cooking Class for Beginners, participants learn how to prepare three classic Japanese dishes entirely from scratch. One of the favorites is teriyaki salmon a dish that brings out the delicate aromas and depth of flavor in the salmon. The silky-smooth teriyaki sauce adds the final touch, elevating the dish to something truly special and making the taste buds sing.

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Zoë has held sushi courses and cooking classes for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

Is porridge suitable for sushi?

March 26, 2025 by Zoë Escher

There are many different types of rice, and pudding rice is just one of them.
A question I am frequently asked is whether pudding rice can be used for sushi. My immediate answer is no even though pudding rice also falls into the category of short-grain rice.

That said, I should mention that I have not personally tried making sushi with pudding rice. However, I have made rice pudding many times, and the texture of cooked pudding rice is noticeably different from that of properly cooked sushi rice.

While it might not be something most people think about, the texture of the rice has a significant impact on the overall taste experience. If the sushi rice does not have the right consistency, it can affect the entire dish. Sushi rice plays a key role in the quality of sushi. It should be tender yet firm, never undercooked in the center, and certainly not overcooked. Achieving this requires a specific type of short-grain rice that is cultivated especially for sushi.

In our beginner sushi course, you will learn which types of rice are best suited for sushi and how to cook them properly to achieve sushi rice of the highest quality.

Read more about Sushi course for beginners

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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

Boost your health with nutritious Japanese dishes

March 20, 2025 by Zoë Escher

Spring is just around the corner and what better way to kickstart the season than with healthy and delicious Japanese cuisine?

Japanese food is not only a delight for the taste buds but can also have a positive impact on your health.

Teriyaki salmon is an extraordinary flavor experience and a nutritious dish at the same time. The healthy fats in salmon provide the nourishment your body needs after the heavier meals of winter. The sweet and savory teriyaki sauce adds a delicate and rich taste, making this dish a favorite among many.

Gyoza, the popular Japanese dumplings, are not only delicious but also filled with juicy meat, fresh vegetables, and aromatic spices. They offer a well-balanced and nutritious option, whether served as an appetizer or a light main course.

Stir-fried noodles with tiger prawns and vegetables are a quick and flavorful dish that embraces the entire food pyramid without being boring. It’s the perfect choice for a busy day when both health and great taste are a priority.

Starting the season with healthy Japanese dishes such as teriyaki salmon, gyoza, and stir-fried noodles with tiger prawns is not just a culinary experience. It’s also an investment in your well-being.

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Zoë has held sushi courses and cooking classes for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

Okonomiyaki is a dish for everyone

March 18, 2025 by Zoë Escher

In Japan, food is more than just nourishment. It is a way to bring people together and share an experience.
One of the most beloved dishes is okonomiyaki. This Japanese pancake is not only delicious but also highly customizable, making it a favorite throughout the country.

The name okonomiyaki literally means “grilled as you like it,” which reflects the countless variations of this popular dish. Whether you prefer juicy pork, fresh seafood, or a vegetarian version, okonomiyaki can be tailored to suit any taste.

Okonomiyaki offers an irresistible combination of crispiness, tenderness, and deep umami flavors. It is typically topped with a sweet-savory okonomiyaki sauce, a touch of nori, and much more, creating a perfectly balanced taste experience.

This dish is enjoyed in Japan for both lunch and dinner all year round.

In the “Mini E-book: 5 Japanese Okonomiyaki for One”, you will find five different recipes for this flavorful dish.

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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.