A trip around the world can inspire you forever.

Just look at the career of Kenichi Restaurants’ Corporate Chef, Bodhi Durant. He fondly recalls the summer before sixth grade when his family set off from Oregon to explore the planet, allowing him to experience authentic flavors from Sri Lanka to France. The journey helped set this budding chef in motion—and eventually earn him a culinary position he had assumed “was relatively unattainable.”

“I really have no fears living outside of my comfort zone. I’m sure that trip had a huge influence,” says Durant.

Durant continues to travel today. Not only does he cover executive chef duties at Kenichi-Dallas where he’s based, but as Corporate Chef, he helps build menu consistency between Dallas and the three other Kenichi Restaurants in Aspen, Austin, and Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. And switching gears, the group also operates Bad Billy’s Restaurant & Bar, which—thanks to rigorous menu improvements since taking ownership—was recently voted best burger in Aspen.

Focusing the vision for Kenichi’s offerings represents another kind of journey—a lifelong quest to master the Asian cuisine that Durant loves, yet is worlds away from the cooking he did with his mother as a child.

Kenichi Restaurants are certainly a showcase of “Contemporary Asian Cuisine and World Class Sushi.” Makimono, nigiri and sashami rolls highlight the freshest, sustainable seafood, served by some of the “best-educated servers.” Enter the dazzling glass complex in Dallas, relax in a lounge softened by candlelight and sparkling lights overhead, and you’ll be prepared to take in the works of art served on each plate.

In terms of menu style, Durant says he prefers “simple, fresh flavors, tending more toward the sweet and spicy.” He has also found success incorporating a touch of exotic ingredients into the familiar—“not so extreme that people are intimidated by the whole dish, but enough to pique their curiosity a little bit.”

Such as tuna roll with Maytag blue cheese, fennel and miso-orange-mustard-truffle sauce. Or the recent special of sea bass fillet with sweet miso sauce and truffle oil, served with garlic-stir-fried spinach and a ginger-soy broth made from salmon bones and lemongrass.

When it comes to the larger picture, Durant says that Kenichi Restaurants have the right focus. “Sushi has been trendy for a while, and I think Americans are starting to understand and enjoy eating more traditional Japanese food. It also fits well with their health priorities.”

Durant joined Kenichi in 2001 after working at several restaurants around Aspen, where Kenichi’s flagship location was established in 1991. Kenichi-Austin made its debut the same year Durant came on board. Then in 2007, Durant helped launch Kenichi-Dallas, where he’s involved in the day-to-day menu execution—checking stations, reviewing sales, creating specials and interacting with customers. With corporate chef responsibilities, he constantly sharpens his vision for expansion and eye for detail.

To that end, Durant encourages retreats and in-person collaboration with Kenichi Restaurants’ other executive chefs. “It’s one thing to share pictures, another thing when you’re able to demonstrate a technique on a rather intimate level.” Durant stays in close communication with Corporate Sushi Chef Kiyomi Sano, based in Aspen, and all the chefs touch base regularly.

Providing all staff members with the tools to succeed is a top priority for Kenichi Restaurants. Servers and line cooks go through an extensive seven-day training process that culminates in a 100-plus-question exam. Even though only a score of 90 percent or higher is considered passing—;and it’s two strikes and you’re out—Durant notes that the restaurants have about a 95 percent pass rate. Some staff members also take advantage of further training and certification programs as far away as Japan.

The unpredictability of any given workday and the potential for instant gratification are what Durant loves most about his job. “I can’t think of many other careers where you get to talk to people who are making a concerted effort to come in and spend their money at your place, and to hear from them, ‘This is one of the most amazing meals I’ve ever had.’ And you know it was a raw product just hours ago.”

Harris Ranch Beef from Shamrock Foods keeps the compliments coming for Kenichi’s take on an all-American favorite: gyu niku burgers. “People eat a lot of hamburgers, so for people to come in from all over the country—all over the world—and tell us that this is one of the best burgers they’ve had? That means we’re doing something right, but it also means that we have a great product to work with.”

Durant also says it’s great to work with Shamrock as a company. “One of the reasons I enjoy Shamrock is the approachability—being able to call any time. [District Sales Manager] Steve New has been outstanding. Very seldom do you find people who are willing to go above and beyond like they do at Shamrock.”

As Durant faces the next challenge, he draws on the same flexibility that allowed him to pack his car after college and head from his home of Eugene, Oregon, to the mountains of Colorado—letting the journey shape itself along the way.

“Chefs are problem-solvers, and more often than not, we’ll have problems that we can’t solve on a daily basis. Just try to stay positive and not get frustrated. Things will work out if you have a good work ethic and a goal-oriented philosophy.”

And if you keep moving toward the next accomplishment, as Durant has.

Kenichi Restaurants – Aspen, Austin, Hawaii, Dallas
Bad Billy’s Restaurant & Bar, Aspen
www.kenichirestaurants.com