Crane & Turtle chef Makoto Hamamura just returned from a trip to Japan. But he wasn’t alone. His team of chefs, Katy Kinch, Craig Duquette and Kyle Rubin, accompanied him to Tokyo and his hometown in the Kochi prefecture. Some have worked in sushi restaurants for years but never visited Japan. “We ate sushi just outside Tsukiji Market in Tokyo—it was what you call a blow-your-mind experience for them,” Makoto says. We snapped Craig with Makoto and Kyle during dinner Thursday night. Craig confirmed the Tsukiji Market sushi was his favorite bite from the trip.

Makoto explains the purpose of the trip wasn’t so much to come home and infuse the menu with new dishes—but to educate his staff and connect them to the food they prepare. “They saw how Japanese people take care of fish, and how fresh it is; sometimes it’s still moving,” he tells us. More chefs are taking their sous chefs and line cooks out into the field to inspire them and connect them to food products—few though, get to take a trip like this. You’re looking at Crane & Turtle’s signature hay smoked tuna tataki.