Wegmans Astor Place In Manhattan

Fish smells fishy: this idea doesn’t exist in Japan.

If you go to a regular supermarket anywhere in Japan, the seafood department is filled with the scent of clean ocean instead of dead fish.

The extreme freshness comes from various factors from catching, slaughtering to the whole distribution system, all meticulously controlled as a part of Japanese food culture.

Now, Sakanaya at Wegmans Astor Place in Manhattan, which opened in October 2023, offers the same experience in New York.

Located in the basement of the 90,000-square-foot space that stretches on two levels, Sakanaya, a seafood shop in Japanese, is a candy store for seafood lovers.

All the sparkling, beautiful fish on display were shipped from the world’s biggest seafood market Toyosu in Tokyo less than 30 hours ago.

But why is the quintessential American supermarket Wegmans, which has over 110 locations nationwide, offering this authentic Japanese seafood operations in the East Village, Manhattan?

“Wegmans have been running the high-quality seafood operations for the last dozen years,” says Steve Philips, group manager of seafood at Wegmans. “To reach the highest standards, we have visited the Tsukiji Fish Market and the Toyosu Market (Tsukiji was relocated to become Toyosu in 2018) a few times and learned how things were operated.”

The company has been offering pop-up seafood events such as a mini-Japanese-style fish market at multiple locations and received favorable and often enthusiastic reactions from customers.

Also, Astor Place, which has been the home of Japanese restaurants for decades, has a strong community of Japanese food lovers. For Wegmans, it was a logical consequence to open a Japanese-style seafood department within the massive space.

It is worth noting that John Emerson, senior vice president of restaurant foods at Wegmans is also a Japanese Cuisine Goodwill Ambassador designated by the Japanese government for his deep understanding of Japanese food culture and his contribution to educating American consumers about its value.

Having Vital Connections In Japan Is The Key

Buying quality seafood at the Japanese wholesale seafood market is notoriously difficult. You need to spend years or even generations to build a network of mutually trustworthy vendors.

For Sakanaya, Wegmans works closely with Uoriki, one of Japan’s leading fishmongers, which was founded in 1930. The collaboration allows Wegmans to maintain a direct supply chain for seafood that does not often leave Japan.

In order to purchase the right items at the Toyosu Market, you need an experienced specialist who understands Wegman’s customer demands. Luckily, the company has Shinji Sakamoto, the on-site selector who now works for Uoriki and used to be a Wegman’s employee for years.

Patient Education For Mastery

Getting the best seafood is not enough to run Sakanaya. Wegmans needs someone who expertly handles it.

Enter Adrian Hutchins. He has worked for Wegmans for over 10 years and has been in charge of all the New York sushi operations for the last six years.

Still, Hutchins has so much to learn to make Sakanaya as great as retailers in Japan. That is why Uoriki’s experts are being stationed at Astor Place to hone his seafood preparation skills and cutting techniques further.

“When I started working at the seafood department at Wegmans, I disliked the repetitive tasks. But one day, I realized that the repetition I loathed gave me the skills to produce great products. Eventually fell in love with sushi and seafood,” says Hutchens. “Now I am excited to be back to being a student under a seafood master from Uoriki. I have a-ha moments every day.”

Wegmans has been recognized as the best company to work for. For instance, Fortune magazine honored the company the Best Workplaces in Retail in 2023.

Perhaps, one of the reasons why employees are so happy at Wegmans is the ample opportunities to educate themselves. “If someone raises a hand to learn, we will bring all available resources to that person. We want everyone to grow through learning—it is a good thing to empower all of us,” says Philips who has been working for Wegmans for nearly 22 years.

The education-minded strategy will run through Sakanaya and beyond. Hutchens is also being trained as a future teacher for all of Wegmans’ seafood departments. He has begun visiting Wegmans’ network of fishing families and processors on the East Coast to understand the entire distribution chain and be ready for his training in Japan. He will work as a fishmonger and experience the seafood culture of the country. On his return, he will train Wegmans’ staff to share his knowledge widely within the company.

At Sakanaya, the prices are surprisingly reasonable. “Seafood is only a fraction of our dinner plates in America. Our goal is to make high-quality seafood available to everyone. We have large enough operations as a company to invest in Sakanaya until it becomes fully profitable,” Philips says.

In other words, Sakanaya is Wegmans’ platform to elevate the quality of its company-wide seafood offerings.

But Wegmans’ vision goes even further.

“There is so much to learn from the Japanese seafood industry. For example, the slaughtering technique used by Japanese fishermen can dramatically improve the freshness of seafood,” says Philips. “In the long run, we would like to learn these useful techniques and teach American fishermen to refine the seafood culture in America.”