Sushi by Angel owner juggles work, classes, catering

Southeast Missouri State University hospitality management student Angel Carrasquillo has a busy life these days.

Carrasquillo, a native of Puerto Rico, works 30 to 35 hours a week at Sedona Bistro, 1812 Carondelet Drive in Cape Girardeau.

He also spends an estimated 20 hours weekly at his catering business, Sushi by Angel, and still manages to make it to his morning classes. Carrasquillo said his love for sushi and the drive for his degree keep him going.

"Most of my 20s, I struggled with drugs and the streets; I had a real problem," Carrasquillo said. "I've been to prison a couple of times."

Carrasquillo said he decided to join the Army and ended up coming to the United States.

"I was kind of winging it. I kept making mistakes, and I kept learning from them, and I am still learning from them," he said.

After Carrasquillo left the military, he started college at the University of Missouri-Columbia to study nutrition but said he never had the chance to go to class.

Hired at one of the on-campus sushi restaurants as a dishwasher, Carrasquillo soon learned how to make sushi, falling in love with the process.

Carrasquillo later obtained an apprenticeship at sushi restaurant Matsuhisa in New York.

He has also worked in Kansas City, Arizona and Las Vegas before becoming to Cape Girardeau to become grill master at Logan's Roadhouse in Cape Girardeau. But Carrasquillo lost that job in March 2020 when Logan's shut down during the pandemic.

Carrasquillo said he adapted by doing sushi "pop-ups" around the Cape Girardeau area.

Today, Carrasquillo is team lead in Sedona Bistro's kitchen and operates his personal business from there — doing most of his prep at Sedona, then taking sushi to wherever he's hired for the day.

Nick Johnston, professor of hospitality management at Southeast, had high words of praise for his student.

"Angel's story is not only a testament to his character, his resolve, grit, determination and talent, but also a testament to the power of college, the power of education and the community," he said.

Carrasquillo said he tries to use as many local products for his sushi as possible. He begins preparing it by washing and cooking the rice. He usually prepares the actual sushi on-site, whether it be at a pop-up or a party. Since preparing the sauce is a little more time-consuming, Carrasquillo said he makes his sauces beforehand.

His specialties include cardinal roll, radish sprout masago, sesame aioli and lemon drop.

Owning a small business, working in a restaurant and going to school has taught Carrasquillo the necessity to practice effective time management.

"If you want to succeed, you've got to wake up early and go to bed late. There is no time to play around. Get rid of all your games on your phone," Carrasquillo said.

SEMO professor Lisa Essmyer said she discovered Carrasquillo's passion for sushi and his compelling personal story during an international cuisine day at Southeast.

"To see that you can be bigger and better than where you came from, bigger and better than some of the poor decisions that you make, and those don't define you; your successes define you," she said.

Carrasquillo said he will be opening a bricks-and-mortar restaurant called Omakase by Sushi by Angel in January at 430 Broadway in Cape Girardeau.

Omakase, Carrasquillo said, means "I'll leave it up to you," in Japanese.

"My menu is going to be always changing, always fresh. And the customers are going to get a different level of freshness and attention like they've never had in this town."

For more information, visit www.sushibyangel.net.