Billy: Okay I’m Billy Mak and I am 33 years old and I came here to the United States in 1991 around 16 years ago . My parents are here and they lived here for a long time.

Brian: Where are they from?

Brian: Is that where you were born?

Billy: Yes. They became American citizens and then I came around 16 years ago. I went to school in Port Charlotte. When I was in Hong Kong, I worked in my uncle‘s restaurant, because my family has restaurants. My grandparents, my uncles, my whole family.

Kevin: For many generations.

Billy: Exactly. The restaurant business, since I was little, like really little, I would go to restaurant meetings twice a month and I would get free food, free drinks, money. I liked it and when I was in school I worked part time in a restaurant.

Brian: So Kevin, did you have a similar background?

Kevin:  Pretty much similar background. But when I moved here first to Fort Myers, I couldn’t find a job. My uncle had a friend in Fort Lauderdale who agreed to hire me. I worked in Fort Lauderdale a couple years. Then I had a friend ask, "You want to learn something different, sushi?" So I said, "Why not?"

Brian: So the restaurant in Fort Lauderdale was not sushi?

Kevin: It was mainly Chinese food. After a couple years of doing that, I was like "Why not?" So my master taught me how to make sushi over in Fort Lauderdale.

Brian: Who’s the older one out of you two?

Kevin: I am the older.. I am 34 and we are only a year apart.

Brian: Did you both move here at the same time in '91?

Kevin: Yes, you know, we have lots of customers that think we are only one person... (laughs)

Brian: Yea? (laughs)

Kevin: ....because I am not always here and we rotate quite a bit. We have alot of fun.

Brian: So Kevin, you learned sushi from the chef in Fort Lauderdale. Billy where did you learn sushi from?

Billy: I learned from my brother.

Brian: You were his mentor?

Billy: Yes he was. I worked at a couple sushi restaurants in town, worked my way up. I worked in a Chinese restaurant in Lehigh as a waiter and then one day, it was two years I had worked in the restaurant, I quit and then my uncle called me up and said that we should open a restaurant. When I was back in Hong Kong, I worked as a cook in a restaurant. I started in the kitchen for two years when I was 14, and at that time when you were the executive chef you were number one, the smaller the number the higher up you were. We had twenty two chefs, twenty two guys and I moved from number twenty two to number nine in two years. I was 16, 17 you know, and so I knew what’s going on in a Chinese restaurant, how things need to be done right. My uncle says, "Let's open a restaurant. I said, "I don’t have any money!" and my uncle says, "Don’t worry about money." I was twenty one at the time and so of course I said yes. We opened a restaurant in Bonita Springs, which was called Kim Wah. We bought that restaurant and opened Jade Island.

Brian: How long were you there?

Billy: Fourteen months and in those fourteen months I had two days off, so I realized, "That’s not what I want."  So I left and I wanted to become a sushi chef, because I enjoy being up front and I love to cook.

Brian:  Did you guys leave the restaurant at the same time?

Billy:  Yes, we sold the restaurant. I believe that the kitchen is really as important as a front man, and I realized with sushi,  I can combine the two together. I can cook and have fun with it. So I talked to my brother and he said, "Just go find any restaurant to work in for now", because at that time, he told me that he didn’t want to teach me straight. And he said that he would rather have someone else teach me the basics first before I come and join the team together. I would have the background. I used my knife and I picked it up really quick.

Brian: Good for you, now back in Hong Kong, all the family with the generations, were they all Chinese restaurants?

Billy: Chinese restaurants and my uncle invested in England in Chinese restaurants and sushi restaurants but he wasn’t involved in it, he just put money into it. But Chinese restaurants are my uncle's major focus.

Brian: And did you work together in a lot of those restaurants as well?

Kevin:  Yes.

Brian: So how did you guys get involved with blu sushi?

Billy: Well when we worked in a restaurant in Fort Myers called Oriami, one of the owners his name is Courtney Jones, he came in all the time and he loved our spicy tuna hand roll. He would come in and we'd know he'd want:  2 spicy tuna hand roll and an iced tea. He would walk into the back room, wash his hands and he would come out and his food was ready. He liked that service. We were there everyday, like double five days a week. And one day he asked, Can I have your phone number?  I asked, "For what? " and he said "I might be opening a restaurant"  and I was like "Hey, you are like number 48 to tell me you want to open a restaurant this week. Don’t worry about it..... but come back. I’d like to see you come back." He said "No, I’m serious." He called and we met at Courtney’s house and he brought out the floor plan of the restaurant and he said, "This is the restaurant and I want you to be my partner. So we thought about it for a few days…

Kevin: Three weeks!

Billy: Three weeks. We said, "You know what we’re going to do? Blu Sushi! And we are going to be "brothers like us." He and Chris Whitaker, they have known each other a long time and they are like brothers. Like us. And we got Peter Smith to join our ownership team with me and my brother running the restaurant, and Larry also, he was the director.

Brian: What year did you open the first one in Fort Myers?

Billy: Six years ago, ’02.

Brian: Since then you have opened up 2 more locations,  one in Naples on Third Ave. and this one in Gulf Coast Town Center.

Billy and Kevin: Yes

Brian: What have been some of the challenges of opening up the same concept in different locations and having it still considered local?

Billy: We don’t want to lose the local restaurant service and I don’t want you to walk in to a franchise and it have no personality. We want people to walk in and be like, Oh there’s Kevin and Kevin’s like, "Hey how are you?" We don’t want to be like you come in, this is what you order, that’s what you got, here 's your food....next. So my  brother and I are always in the restaurant, either in the front or in the back. On the weekend, we jump on the line and cook and on the weekdays, we are walking in the dining rooms, making sure everyone’s having fun. With the three restaurants, it’s only me and him to look over and it’s a challenge.

Brian: Do you think your restaurants compete with each other sometimes? Maybe not the Naples one, but like with Gulf Coast and Fort Myers?

Kevin: Not really. Because there are some customers who don’t like Gulf Coast because maybe they think it's too big. It's all about your first time in a restaurant. If it's Fort Myers, you're going to go to Fort Myers and you're not going to go come here. 

Billy: And plus sushi is completely different from other cuisines, because just like when you go to salon, and you have a specific lady or gentleman cut your hair and you like it. There may be 50 other locations, but you're not going to go to other locations because you like that one stylist and you're going back to that stylist.

Brian: Right, it’s that personal touch.

Billy: Yes and that’s the way it is in the sushi bar and sushi chef. You talk to the chef, you tell him what you like and he can make you whatever you want.

Brian: So it’s important then with you having the three locations for you two to hire the right kind of people.

Billy: Yes

Brian: How do you guys go through the hiring process? Do you promote from within? Do you go out on the market to find someone who you think is really good? How do you train that person to do what it is that you guys want to do?

Kevin: We do promote our chefs, but also we still find chefs from different cities and different areas. You know the most important things that I look for in people when I interview them are; honesty, no drama, and helpful on the job.

Billy:  I want to sit down and I want to see your personality and if you join your team. I watch, that’s my job.

Brian: I think sushi chefs as a whole, because it is such a craft, such an art, are much more individual, especially in larger cities. I think that they kind of bear that on their shoulders, they are,"You need me more then I need you." Do you experience that, with some having big egos?

Billy: Oh definitely, definitely and we always let them go. (laughs) We don’t have a rock star here, we are all on the same team. If you make a mistake it's my fault, it's that simple. No matter what, no matter what you do. If you did great, then I’ll give you credit. If you made a mistake, it's my fault. I’m not going to tell a customer, "Well I didn’t make your order, he made it."

Brian: Very good philosophy, I like that.

Billy: Just do what you can and it doesn’t matter. It happens sometimes, you have a good day and a bad day. Me and my brother talk about it all the time.

Brain: Now you guys run an open kitchen in all three restaurants and you're in front of guests a lot. You talk to guests. If you could talk to every guest that walks in here every night, what kind of conversations would you have with them? What kind of information would you want from them in a general view?

Billy: First of all ,we want to find out how was your dinner? And what do you think? What would you recommend? Any suggestions? Like you know I take a notes and after two nights of me noticing them coming in, I sit with them and ask them, "Can I make you something special that’s not on the menu?" Because we love to make stuff that’s not on the menu when we are not busy. We make them fun stuff, what I like to eat, I love to make that for customers.

Brian: Is that a lot different from what is on your menu, what you like to eat?

Billy: Yes, I like to eat very simple, but you know I think that simple is really good.

Kevin: Because most customers know what you like, what you eat. In their minds, they are always thinking what you want is always the good stuff.

Brian: There are a lot of trends that happen in the food industry, in the sushi world I’m sure there are trends as well. What kind of trends do you see and what do you forecast for the future?

Billy: Well in this town, there are a lot of challenges. People are watching the food channel and they see all kinds of crazy food. We did bring in some high end quality that the market isn’t ready for, and especially in Fort Myers. I see people probably being more educated in the future and willing to eat more adventurously.

Brian: Do you educate your guests often?

Billy: We try, but from my experience, if someone comes in and they like one specific roll, I would say about 80 percent of the time, they don’t order anything different, because maybe they are afraid that if they order something different that they won't like it. We try to always tell our customers, "Hey try the new thing,  if you don’t like it, it's on the house." In this market, they still don’t want to try it. In big cities it’s a completely different game, a totally different ball game.

Brian: How do you keep your creative juices flowing? How do you find new things out there? Where do you do your research?

Kevin: I use the computer a lot and also, I go to Japan like almost once a year, since we’ve opened. I’ve been there 5 times, so I can go and see all the new stuff. You know, in Japan there is a lot of crazy stuff and sometimes I'll go to the market, mix and match and you know, make it happen. We bring it back for the staff, we try it and everybody likes it then we serve it to the customers. It's all about, you know, between me and the customer... its 'trust. Because they trust me, I can try new things.

Brian: Being in Florida, we don’t get the best sushi fresh fish, the freshest ingredients and we don’t grow our own rice. How difficult is it to get the right ingredients for a sushi company here in Fort Myers area.  

Kevin: I have a really good fish purveyor from Miami and have been dealing with them for almost 13 years. He always picks me the best pieces, good quality fish for us, especially because we told him "We don’t mind paying extra." You know how some restaurants don’t have enough fish? We always have good fish. If they don’t have the good quality fish, then we just don’t serve it.

Brian: So back to trends, right now, what is one of the most popular things on your menu?

Billy: Lava, which is crab meat, cheese, tempura.

Brian: Sounds good, I’m getting hungry. So answer this, if you could work for any chef in the world tomorrow, what chef would it be?

Billy: I would work for Morimoto. He is very talented. I liked the way he transferred from traditional sushi to like, Korean. He thinks about things the way that I would use them and I think about it and say, "I could put that together for sushi." I would work for him for free for a year. I would pack my bag and I would go.

Brian: (laughs) You’d have to leave Kevin alone, would that be okay?

Billy: (laughs) yeah it would !

Brian: and how about you Kevin?

Kevin: Same guy... I would go too!

Brian: Wow same guy, well maybe you should shut down blu for a year and head up there...  (laughs)

Billy: He is so talented and could help us. I could learn so much from watching him.

Brian: What about Nobu?

Billy: Nobu? Well I have been to Nobu many times in Vegas, and in New York. The teaching is really good, but the sushi isn’t very good. I mean he is good, but the sushi just doesn’t have that wow.

Brian: It needs that. You definitely produce a good wow factor here. But you know that there are a lot of celebrity chefs out there, a lot of reality shows. How do you guys feels about those? Do you ever watch them? Do they interest you or do you think its just over played?

Kevin: They are interesting because you can always learn something from them. They have so many ideas. I love to watch the food channel once in a while, sometimes it makes you hungry too, it just looks so good. (laughs)

Kevin: No, not me.

Billy: I don’t cook much.

Brian: Because you’re here right.

Billy: I tell my girlfriend, you’re the cook and I’m the bartender.

Kevin: My girlfriend always cooks.

Billy: I try to cook sometimes but it’s usually like, scrambled eggs.

Brian: I know you are both partners, but do you see somewhere down the road your own place, on your own or maybe together? Or do you think it's blu over and out.

Billy: I speak for myself when I say this, but I just spoke with my partners the other day and we were talking about maybe opening more blu sushi’s, looking for more location. In the future, when I get older, maybe toward the time I retire, I would like to have my own restaurant. A smaller one that has no sushi.

Brian: No sushi?

Billy: No, no sushi.

Brian: Why?

Billy: Just some small café and what I eat, that’s what will be on the menu, it’ll only have 10 to 15 items and that's all.

Brian: Hmm and what about you Kevin?

Kevin: For now, my mind is all blu, like my brother said, we are looking to open more restaurants. But maybe in the future, blu is not only sushi. You know maybe a couple other cuisines. That’s what I’m looking for.

Brian: You kind of answered the next question. Where do you see blu heading, I mean do you see blue in New York City, in Miami?

Billy: Yes

Brian: You looking to go that far?

Billy: We are looking at several different locations.

Brian: Well I have been a firm believer for even the Naples location, that your concept can be taken anywhere. You guys really do a great job.

Kevin: Thank you

Brian: What makes a successful restaurant and do you feel that you are doing that right now?

Kevin: It's all about team work between the back and the front and communication from the front manager and the back. I have seen a lot of restaurants, that the front and the back are considered completely different things. Here, we are all one team. You need to respect every team member and be one team. I know that like in our restaurant, you need that respect. I need that respect.

Billy: Ssometimes we get together the chefs, the managers, the waitress, my brother and I and we all go bowling, or go play soccer on Sunday mornings and all get together. We try to bring our team outside of work so that they don’t see me as just the owner but also as a friend. They can come to me with ideas and maybe if they need to talk about something.

Brian: That’s great. You don’t get sick of seeing each other outside and inside of work?

Billy: Not really. I told them I have seen them all more then I have seen my brother or my girlfriend. They are like family, so their problems are mine. I want to help them. Even the dish washer, I have one guy who was 17 years old working for us. He didn’t go to school, he came to work full time here. And I told him that, I want him to go back to get his G.E.D, because you may not need it now, but one day you will. We try to help each other out.

Brian: What kind of knives do you use?

Billy:  Matsomoto

Brian: Do you ever use ceramic or titanium knives?

Kevin: I have ceramic knives…

Brian: You do? And how do you like them?

Kevin: They are okay... you know they chip, if they fall they shatter.

Brian: Yes they do shatter but they are very sharp.

Kevin: Yes very sharp. I have had them for a long time.

Brian:  They work well with sushi?

Kevin: Yes, you can say that, but to me ,with sushi knives you get they can be from 50 dollars to 5000, but for me it’s all about how you use your knife and how you cut. You could have a knife and it's really sharp, but you don’t know how to cut with it, then the skill is not sharp. Try to push it push it, so you can take a knife that isn’t sharp and still make a perfect cut.

Brian: How do you sharpen your knives?

Kevin: Just with a stone, whet stone.

Brian: Is there anything in the kitchen that you can't live without?

Billy: The most valuable thing in a sushi kitchen is the chef . That’s why the price of a sushi chef is better than any cuisine.

Brian: Now that you have three locations, you two are separated to different locations, but when it was one intimate location, did you guys work well together?

Billy and Kevin: Yes!

 Kevin: We've always worked together, ever since Hong Kong. In China, we always worked together. We work well together.

Billy: You know when you're on the line and you have a partner next to you and he knows exactly what you're doing, everything goes so smooth all night no matter how busy you are. Whenever we have a big night or some event, my brother and I always team up together and try not to bring anyone else. We try to represent our restaurant with out any competition.

Brian: You both do that very well.

Billy: Almost every single event, we try to go because we want to represent our restaurant the best we can.

Brain: Sometimes in the kitchen on a busy night, who leads the way, who keeps the pass going? Like when you need something faster or is that not needed, and you're always good to go?

Billy: In our kitchen, we never come in and say, "Hey it's Friday, let's step it up."  Because Friday, Monday or Wednesday are all treated the same. Our staff is experienced enough to know that Friday we should do 400 dinners, so they cut that much. We never say. "Hey, you have to do the vegetables and you do the fish." No, we just walk in and work together and get it all done and usually by five o’clock, everything is ready to go. If everything is done, we have time to take a break and go get a cup of coffee or grab something to eat and then we are ready to rock n roll.

Brian: Do you keep a prep list of what you need to prep for the day?

Billy: No

Kevin: Everybody just knows what they are doing. 

Billy: My brother.

Kevin: You know, Billy and I are completely different people. I am quieter and I don’t talk much but I think about a lot and I am constantly looking at fish or checking quality. My brother, he is more open and talks more, with customers and all that.

Billy: I’m much more 'front of the house' and he is 'back of the house.' And we have meetings. Every night we talk. On our days off we try not to call each other, because it's our day off, but there is always something going on.

Kevin: Yes always something on our days off. 

Brian: Well it's been a pleasure. I really enjoyed getting to know you both a little more, so thank you very much.

Billy And Kevin: Thank you. Let's eat!