The most popular day for sushi at Meijer is Wednesday, when the store offers rolls for $5. Christina Lewis | Collegian

Sushi chef Van tha Nawl goes to work at Meijer every morning at 6 a.m. to prepare fresh sushi for the day.

“The sushi chef in the Hillsdale store prepares hand-rolled, fresh sushi daily, using fresh tuna, salmon, and shrimp,” Store Director Kelly Quintana said. “They also offer vegetarian and vegan options.”

Nawl is an employee of ACE Sushi Franchise, a California-based sushi company with more than 1,000 locations in the United States. He has worked for the company since last year, and was trained by ACE to make sushi.

The sushi chef was born and raised in Myanmar, and came to the United States in 2009. He currently lives near Hillsdale with his family.

“ACE Sushi Franchise has partnered with Meijer for a couple years now,” Nawl said. “We try to have a chef and sushi in every Meijer.”

Some of the sushi rolls Nawl prepares each morning include the California roll, the salmon roll, the golden dragon roll, and the spicy tuna roll. Each Wednesday at Meijer in Hillsdale, the store offers a deal on select sushi rolls for only $5. According to Quintana, Wednesday is the most popular day for sushi.

The California crunch roll — containing imitation crab, avocado, and cucumber,  topped with crispy breadcrumbs — is the best selling sushi item at the Hillsdale location, Quintana said.

Senior Abigail Idstein said she loves the texture of the California crunch roll.

“It’s pretty good,” Idstein said. “Although I wish they used panko tempura instead of the corn-flaky stuff they use right now.”

Senior Emma De Nooy said she likes the sushi at Meijer, but prefers to eat it earlier in the day because the chef prepares it fresh in the mornings.

“I think it’s pretty good if you’re looking for a sushi fix,” De Nooy said. “The price for what you get is fairly reasonable. The rice is the worst part since it gets mushy as it sits, so I try to buy it earlier in the day.”

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