Mahomet IGA continues to bring variety into the community. First Kaffee, then Bulldog wear, now Sushi with Gusto.
Located just inside the store, past the floral department, chefs create sushi rolls seven days a week.
“We offer restaurant quality sushi, at a retail price with in-store packaging,” Sushi with Gusto Representative Phillip Allen said.”If you’re used to going out to a restaurant for sushi night, now you can go to the IGA and have that quality, if not better quality, sushi at a portion of the price right in your own home.”
Eighteen years into the making, Sushi with Gusto offers over 80 sushi rolls to nearly 300 locations, including 50 universities, retail supermarkets, businesses and hospitals.
With two chefs creating rolls on-site throughout the day, Allen, who sampled and sold over 50 Chef Special rolls while visiting Mahomet, said the chefs can also create custom sushi while the customer waits.
“When I was there, a lady didn’t like cucumber,” he said. “(Our chef) rolled her one without cucumber. If you are allergic to an ingredient or just don’t like one, the chef will make you a roll with the ingredients that you do like.”
Allen also said he had to help people understand what sushi meant while he was visiting.
“Sushi doesn’t mean raw fish, sushi means seasoned rice,” he said. “The Chef’s Special includes imitation crab meat, cucumber, avocado, spicy mayo, eel sauce and crispy onions on top.”
“Another lady asked me if she had to put the whole piece in her mouth at one time,” he recalled. “I told her she could do it. When you put the whole piece in your mouth, all the flavors come together. She loved it! She absolutely loved it.”
As customers shared their Facebook posts about their excitement for sushi in Mahomet, Mahomet IGA owner Brooks Marsh has said the food has grown in popularity. He has even noticed students coming in before school to take a roll to lunch.
Allen said the great thing about sushi is that it is full of healthy ingredients that can be eaten at lunch, for a snack or as meal replacement during dinner.
Sushi with Gusto began as family-owned Gusto Seafood Company in South Carolina in 1979. Nearly two decades ago, Hisamichi Fujimura dove into the idea of spreading sushi bars throughout the United States. Now, sushi chefs from around the globe who have made their home in America own and operate the Sushi with Gusto franchises.
