Learn to Make Sushi and Japanese Food with Denmark’s Most Experienced Sushi Chef and Sake Sommelier
Discover exclusive sushi and Japanese cooking classes held in Copenhagen, as well as at private homes and companies across Denmark.
Whether you’re a curious beginner, a food enthusiast, or a company interested in Japanese gastronomy, you’ll learn authentic techniques and flavors from the Japanese kitchen shared with calmness, presence, and many years of experience.
“In Japans your education never ends. In 2012 I was introduced to a nigiri hand technique that takes 20 years to master I think that is fascinating” – Zoë Escher
What Customers Say “It was a pleasure having you visit 😊 I’ve received so much lovely feedback from the participants they had a fun and educational evening.” – Maria
“Wow! Yet another wonderful evening in your company 😃 You are AMAZING at conveying knowledge, and the results were once again a fantastic experience. All the participants were VERY enthusiastic!” – Tanja
Recognition
2019: Judge for the daily newspaper Politiken in connection with testing food for their readers.
2016: 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: 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.
2013: Guest judget at Masterchef Denmark season 3.
2013: 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.
Did you know that sushi can be one of the easiest ways to eat more vegetables without getting tired of your food?
One of the main ingredients in sushi is seaweed. This type of seaweed is cultivated on the seabed in countries such as Japan, Korea, and China, in much the same way as we grow oats and wheat here at home. The flavor varies depending on where it is grown, and in Japan it is typically harvested in the autumn.
After harvesting, the seaweed goes through a thorough process, it is washed, cleaned, dried, pressed, and cut to the right size. In Japan, you can find both everyday seaweed and exclusive quality seaweed for gourmet sushi.
Sushi seaweed is actually the vegetable in the world that contains the most vitamins and minerals. You therefore don’t need to eat much before covering a large part of your body’s needs.
Would you like to learn how to make delicious sushi at home in your own kitchen?
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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.
Many of us would like to eat more vegetables on a daily basis. Vegetables are full of important vitamins, minerals and fibre, all of which contribute to a healthy body.
In a busy everyday life, it can be challenging to eat the recommended vegetables. If you are looking for a delicious and easy way to get more vegetables into your diet, sushi could be your shortcut.
Although many people think of fish when they hear the word “sushi”, vegetables are also an essential part of this wonderful dish. From fresh cucumbers and avocado to steamed asparagus and marinated radish – sushi offers a world of vegetables presented in a new and exciting way.
Eating raw vegetables is healthier than cooked vegetables. The various raw vegetables used in sushi boost your body with vitamins.
Not only do you get lots of vegetables with sushi, but the seaweed nori, which is often used to make sushi rolls, is full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. This makes sushi both tasty and healthy to eat.
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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.
The short answer is no, you should not use frozen fish from the supermarket for sushi. There are several good reasons for this.
You don’t know the quality
For sushi, the fish must be of the absolute highest quality, because it is eaten raw. When you buy a frozen pack of fish at the supermarket, you cannot tell what quality the fish had before it was frozen.
You don’t know where the fish was caught
The marine environment has a major impact on the quality of the fish. Polluted waters can affect both taste and safety. On most frozen packages, it is not clearly stated under what conditions the fish was caught or lived.
You don’t know when the fish was caught
When making sushi, freshness is crucial. But on frozen packages, you rarely see the catch date – only an expiration date. That means you lose important information about the fish’s freshness.
Making sushi requires the right ingredients especially when it comes to fish. It can be difficult to assess on your own which fish are fresh enough, where they come from, and whether they are suitable for sushi.
That’s why we recommend learning it in a course, where you gain both knowledge and practical skills.
In our Sushi course for beginners, you’ll learn, among other things, how to choose the right fish and how to safely make delicious sushi at home.
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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.
First of all, fish for sushi has a very special quality. You can not necessarily see that quality with your eyes. There are usually experts who have the knowledge and experience to be able to see that.
Also it is difficult to tell where the fish is coming from.
There are some fish that swim several kilometers a day. There are also fish that stay in the local area throughout their lives. There are areas in the world where fish are of better quality than elsewhere. Unfortunately, it also requires that you have an in-depth knowledge of it.
About Sushi course for beginners I talk more, how to make sure you get bought of a quality so that it is suitable to be used for sushi.
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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.
What the best sushi is really depends on the kind of sushi you prefer.
In Denmark, you’ll find several styles:
Edo-style sushi – minimalist sushi that focuses on fish and rice. This style is very common in Japan.
Topping-style sushi – sushi topped with different ingredients, giving each piece a tapas like feel. This approach is very Scandinavian and widely popular in Denmark.
Fusion sushi – sushi inspired by flavors from other countries. This creates a completely different experience and is perfect if you want to broaden your sushi horizons.
I was trained by Japanese sushi chefs.
In my sushi courses, I teach techniques and use ingredients that bring out the best flavors. Participants learn to prepare sushi just like Japanese chefs in Tokyo. At the same time, we use the most popular types of fish in Denmark when making sushi.
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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.
You can eat sushi if you have a seafood allergy. If I had a seafood allergy I would make the sushi restaurant aware of that too, even though I ordered food that did not contain seafood. There are several reasons for this.
It is quite important that if you have some kind of allergy, then the food you have ordered should not have been in contact with a cutting board or another kitchen utensil where an allergenic raw material has been in contact. Otherwise you may risk a reaction as well, even if a sushi knife has only touched the raw material.
As a sushi chef, it is extremely important that you are told if a guest has an allergy so that you can take it into account when preparing food. There is no one who wants one’s guests to have a bad dining experience.
To be 100% sure, you should always inform the sushi restaurant if you have an allergy.
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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.
I still remember it vividly, the year was 1994, and I was sitting in front of sushi for the very first time. Back then, sushi was something completely new and exotic, and I had no idea what I was getting myself into.
The taste, the texture and especially the idea of eating seaweed, it was all a challenge. Sushi isn’t prepared like other dishes, and that first bite was truly different. Soft, fresh, but unfamiliar.
I started out cautiously:
The small rolls with cucumber or salmon felt safe, because I already knew the ingredients.
And when I wanted to avoid seaweed entirely, I went for a salmon nigiri, just rice and salmon. Simple and clean.
It turned out to be a great experience, and I quickly discovered that sushi wasn’t nearly as “scary” as I had first imagined.
If you’re also new to the world of sushi, I highly recommend starting slow with ingredients you already know. Once you develop a taste for it, you can gradually explore more adventurous varieties.
And if you want to turn it into a truly special experience, I warmly recommend my beginner’s sushi course. You’ll work with top-quality ingredients and learn the Japanese techniques that transform simple elements into unforgettable flavors.
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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.
In Scandinavia, salmon is the most sought fish for sushi.
Salmon is a local fish that lives in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Finland. The quality of salmon in Scandinavia is very good.
The Faroe Islands are known for producing the world’s best salmon.
Faroese salmon are farmed in the sea, where they grow under the best possible conditions. The salmon also gets fantastic feed, which gives the tasty salmon steaks.
The other Nordic countries also produce very fine, high-quality salmon. In Scandinavia, salmon is produced in large quantities. Freshly caught salmon come to Denmark every single day.
For consumers, it is wonderfully easy to get hold of the fresh, tasty and delicious salmon at the many fish shops in Denmark.
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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.
In the sea around Japan, many different types of seaweed grow. Seaweed used for sushi and seaweed used for various kinds of Japanese dishes. Many thousands of years ago, the Japanese began drying seaweed. Seaweed was dried in such a way that vitamins and minerals remained intact. It was also a way to extend the shelf life.
Today, seaweed is grown on the sea bottom like as wheat is grown in other parts of the world. It is an agriculture that takes place on the sea bottom. The companies that produce seaweed have facilities that can dry large quantities of seaweed every single day.
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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.
Kefir is one of the oldest fermented drinks in the world, and in recent years it has enjoyed a well-deserved renaissance. The creamy, slightly tangy drink is packed with probiotics that support digestion and promote a healthy gut flora.
For many, kefir may seem unfamiliar, but it can easily be adapted to modern daily life. With small portions, you can transform kefir into refreshing smoothies, creamy yogurt, or flavorful spreads, all in just a few minutes.
In my mini e-book Kefir in 5 Different Ways for One Person, you’ll find five simple recipes that demonstrate how versatile kefir is. The recipes are designed for one person, helping you avoid food waste while enjoying kefir whenever you like.
Kefir is a natural path to more energy in everyday life and a healthier lifestyle, much like Japanese cuisine, where simple ingredients are combined into nourishing meals.
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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.
