Noe Carmona

NOE Sushi Bar

Noé is the eldest of 10 siblings, they all came from a very humble home. The family’s subsistence depended on rainfall and a good harvest. Since he was young, he had to work in the fields alongside his parents, who were farmers by trade. During summers, he sold ice cream on buses, at mechanics’ shops, or in small restaurants in his hometown, Loja: ‘I come from a home with many limitations, but abundant love. Our food came from what we planted, and in years with little rain, it meant little food for the family.

Going to school was another challenge for him, as he had to walk two hours each way, exposed to the whims of the weather. But Noé, though humble at heart, was always naturally inquisitive, seeking answers about his destiny: “Being the eldest of my siblings, I understood our limitations and my parents’ worries… I questioned the lifestyle we had… I believed the world ended where the sky met the distant hills I could see at my young age… where we lived, nobody had electricity or clean water. I remember that in our one-room schoolhouse, one day the teacher showed us a political map of Ecuador, teaching us how far away ‘the great city of Quito, Light of America,’ was. That impacted me, and since then, my biggest dream was to get there.”

The Ecuadorian chef started working in the kitchen at the age of 8, preparing rice to help out at home. At the age of 12, during a school break, he got a job as a waiter in a restaurant in the province of El Oro. From that experience, he became certain that his calling was cooking, as he ventured into preparing various dishes from Ecuadorian, French, and Italian cuisines.

Upon arriving in the capital at the age of 19, it wasn’t what he had expected. He endured the toughest moments of his life, far from his family and with little experience. He began his journey in the culinary world by working in rotisseries. With great determination and a hunger for learning, he found his way to the Tanoshi restaurant at the Hotel Oro Verde in Quito, where he began a fortuitous and long-lasting affair with Japanese cuisine, which has endured for 31 years. During that time, the hotel had brought master chefs directly from Japan for its restaurant. From them, Noé absorbed centuries-old techniques and original recipes. But above all, he embraced their philosophy and respect for preparing various dishes, full of natural, healthy, and, above all, delicious food.

Chef Noé’s training progressed gradually under the guidance of Japanese masters, from whom he learned for 6 years. Firstly, he learned that one must have self-love and love for others, working with cleanliness and discipline to be ‘worthy of preparing food, and personalizing service in an impeccable place.’ This motto earned him the qualitative leap he made in life. “Behind it all, there was a lot of work, sweat, and tears too…”

By the age of 26, he had already experienced and participated in various kitchens. He made a name for himself among the customers, and it was they who suggested that he set up his own place.

Later on, he discovered the world of Japanese cuisine under the guidance of Master Chef Ken Namba, who taught him the philosophy and art of Japanese food, both in theory and practice.

Alongside him, he perfected the culinary technique of that country. He worked in a popular restaurant specializing in Asian cuisine, attended specialized courses with Japanese chefs, and had the opportunity to take courses abroad in Brazil, the United States, Japan, Colombia, and Peru. He participated in various fairs around the world to improve his skills. Twenty years ago, he merged the Japanese-Ecuadorian gastronomic concept, establishing himself as a founding partner and Executive Chef of NOE sushi bar.