Bowie Fu — Director of Operations, Blue Ribbon Sushi

Role: Director of Operations, Blue Ribbon Sushi (all locations) Joined: 1995 (as waiter) Tenure: 30 years in the Blue Ribbon sushi division


Career Before Blue Ribbon

  • Grew up in Hong Kong
  • Trilingual: Chinese, Japanese, English

Career at Blue Ribbon

  • 1995: Joined nyc-soho-sushi as a waiter at opening
  • Promoted to General Manager of the Sullivan Street location
  • Promoted to Director of Operations across all Blue Ribbon Sushi locations

Independent Venture (2000–2005)

  • Owned and operated Forbidden City restaurant (2000–2005)
  • Opened En Japanese Restaurant

Both ventures reflect deep knowledge of Japanese dining in New York — he returned to Blue Ribbon after the independent period.


Role at Blue Ribbon

Bowie built and runs the entire sushi division. He started as a waiter at the original sushi location alongside founding partner toshi-ueki and grew into the person most responsible for the sushi brand’s operational consistency across all markets.


Significance

Bowie’s 30-year arc — waiter to director — is one of the most striking career stories in the company. His trilingual background (Chinese, Japanese, English) is operationally important for a sushi division that works closely with Japanese culinary traditions and staff.

His independent restaurant experience (Forbidden City, En Japanese) gives him a founder’s perspective within a director role — rare and valuable.

See toshi-ueki for the legacy of the sushi division’s founding partner.