Sushi chef Masaaki Koyama’s Geeveston restaurant not too far from opening

Tasmania’s favourite sushi chef Masaaki Koyama is making progress on a restaurant in Geeveston. He gives an update on when fans can taste his delicious food again.

SOME might argue his sushi is heaven sent — so it’s only fitting that Masaaki Koyama has found a church for his followers.

The sushi chef is hard at work transforming an empty church into his next Japanese restaurant.

He closed his hugely popular sushi bar in Geeveston in January, because trading was interrupted when bushfires ripped through the region.

Hunger has been growing ever since, from locals and across the state.

“People walk by and keep asking me, ‘when will you open?’. They want me to hurry,” he said.

Owner of Masaaki's Sushi in Geeveston, Masaaki Koyama, inside his soon to be sushi restaurant which was formerly a church. Picture: Zak Simmonds

The answer is: as soon as he can. He is on the tools most days, working hard to transform St Peters Anglican Church in Geeveston into his next sushi mecca.

Masaaki is being as respectful to the building as he is to his sushi: being true to its roots, with regards to its purpose and architecture.

His priority is to remain loyal to the community of Geeveston, the locals who dared try his hometown cuisine when he moved there from Japan more than a decade ago.

Although the building was empty when he purchased it from the Anglican Church, he knew the community had strong links with it.

“I understand a lot of community effort went into building this church 50 years ago, and the community has helped support me in my business,” he said.

“One day I will share this space with the community again.”

Owner of Masaaki's Sushi in Geeveston, Masaaki Koyama outside his soon to be sushi restaurant which once was a church. Picture: Zak Simmonds

He started renovations six weeks ago, but is keeping change to a minimum to remain true to the building’s architect Fred Hudson.

“We are keeping it original,” he said.

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While the kitchen needed a complete makeover to bring it up to commercial standards, the original timbers and light fittings are all being respected and left alone.

“It’s cold in winter so we are also putting in heat pumps,” he said.

The church’s old kitchen has been given to someone in Geeveston who is rebuilding after losing their home in the January bushfires, during which Masaaki worked as a volunteer firefighter.

Masaaki didn’t reopen his sushi bar after January’s fires because he wanted to concentrate on the new project, and the process of gaining approval for parking and change of use has been more time consuming than he expected.

Masaaki volunteered as a firefighter when the town where his sushi shop was located, Geeveston, was at risk of the January bushfires. PICTURE: MATT THOMPSON

He previously opened his sushi bar two days a week, but it had a huge wait list. He also sold sushi at the Hobart Farm Gate market on Sundays, where people cheered when they reached the top of the long queues waiting to try his wares.

“The sushi shop was so busy that I couldn’t have done both,” he said.

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But now he has all the necessary council approvals for the church to become a restaurant and the building work is underway.

He hopes to open the new sushi restaurant in the new year, and is still uncertain about how many days he will open.

“I’m not sure yet — probably three days a week.”

As for the menu, he is considering expanding. But he knows his core business: “I’m really passionate about sushi”.