The Local Spotlight Presents the Inspiring Story Behind Sabi Sushi

A pop of cornflower blue framing a menu might catch your eye as you walk by this modest, brick building near the corner of Piermont Avenue and Ash Street — but don’t just pass on by. Follow the steps up and walk inside the space, where you’ll be elevated to an elegant and upscale culinary experience at Sabi Sushi.

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Owner Doug Nguyen opened Sabi Sushi back in 2022. Locals know him as the well-loved former owner of Wasabi Restaurant in Nyack. But Doug’s journey to the Hudson River Valley began much further back, when in 1982, he escaped his war-torn country of Vietnam at the young age of 12. “I was in a refugee camp in Thailand, and had left my mom and siblings behind. She was a single mom and made the decision for me to go by myself.” Thanks to his Italian-American foster parents who lived in Stony Point, he was able to come to the United States and was welcomed into this new family which included four children of their own. “Freddie and Maria Nardone — I don’t call them foster parents, they’re like my own parents. They raised me.” They gave Doug an opportunity for a different kind of life.

As he was growing up, Doug divided his day between school and BOCES, which is where he learned how to cook. He also got his first job as a dishwasher at Maiko, a Japanese restaurant in New City, where he worked his way up from dishwasher to busboy, sushi helper to teaching helper. He eventually bought the restaurant in 2006. “I didn’t love it right away. It was a job, I’m an immigrant, I worked to survive, and I sent money back home to my family in Vietnam.” His drive to work hard and support his family would lead him to open more restaurants — Sakana in Nanuet, Wasabi in Nyack, and four restaurants in Manhattan, which mainly served lunch to the tourist crowd. When Covid hit in 2020, everything shut down. “I had to lock the doors and walk away,” never to open those restaurants in the city again. “It was a big change, but I don’t ask for a lot. What God gives, God takes. You have to enjoy what you have.”

It is that belief which prompted him to open Sabi Sushi. “I decided to come to Piermont because it’s like coming back home. I live in Palisades, and coming here is like stepping into my own dining room. This is my dream.” From the moment you enter the zen-like restaurant, the warm wood décor coupled with the leather banquette and cool, modern features all set the tone for an elegant and intimate dining experience. As you sit back in the seat and feel your heart rate slow, allow yourself to open to the clean, fresh flavors of each course as it’s carefully and thoughtfully prepared for you.

A group of men in uniformDescription automatically generated Start with the miso soup which will warm your belly and cleanse your palate. Then move onto the fried gyoza dumplings where one bite into the crispy edges brings you to the chewy interior for a multi-textural sensation. Follow it with the freshest sushi of your heart’s desire. While the fan favorite is Tuna Millenium — tempura-encrusted seared tuna with creamy wasabi sauce — Doug encourages patrons to try everything, and the best way to do that is to choose omakase, a chef-curated tasting menu.

Doug relies on a hardworking team of chefs and staff, all of whom have worked with him at his previous restaurants, some for as long as 15 years. The service is welcoming and attentive, and the chefs prepare each dish with precision and care. To Doug, “Food tastes like your personality. As you press [each sushi roll], it comes through. You put your personality and heart into the food.” At Sabi Sushi, that comes with a depth of life experience that is hard-earned and valuable.

“I think back when I was a refugee and cooked then to survive. I was a kid, but I needed to eat.” That Doug was able to take a skill that he had no choice but to learn and turn it into something that would enable him to thrive and achieve success in this country is no small feat. It’s the American dream.

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From left to right: Kevin, Jamie, Andy, Jimmy, and Pablo

By Shauna Wennerod

Local Spotlight — Sabi Sushi

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