Steal This Job: Sticky Rice Sushi Chef Aeryn Kwon

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» Name: Aeryn Kwon

» Job: Sushi chef, working behind the counter at the eclectic Asian restaurant Sticky Rice.

» Education: Northern Virginia Community College for Pharmacy Tech.

» Salary: $30,000 - $40,000

» What She Does: The 23-year-old is a sushi "cook" — as she puts it, since females aren't allowed the coveted title of sushi "chef." The notion of a female sushi chef is almost unheard of in the Asian food world. In Japan, some say, it's because women wear perfume and makeup, and the smell will permeate the food. While she respects the customs behind the dish, Kwon isn't subject to the bias: "I work in a place that doesn't make me feel that."

» Would you want this job? Rolling sushi is no simple short-order cook job. It's a practice with ancient methods and history. Kwon says becoming a sushi chef is becoming an artist of sorts: "They say that you eat with your eyes first. I think the simplicity of sushi gives you that variety to make beautiful art." But there's room for innovation, and Sticky Rice encourages its chefs to be imaginative. "One week," Kwon says, "I made a 'Star Trek' roll," which is a tempura fried roll. "It's called 'Star Trek' because it's out of this world."

» How she got this job: When she started out in the restaurant biz, Kwon originally had pastry on her mind: "I wanted to start a bakery that only sold cupcakes, called 'Cupcakery.'" But once she landed at Sticky Rice, she was intrigued by the unique task of rolling sushi. Soon, seaweed and rice took over for cake and icing. "I was really into it and begged John [Sticky Rice's manager] to roll," Kwon says. After training with the chefs, she worked her way behind the sushi counter.

» How you can get this job: Uni Sushi and Singapore Bistro restaurants offer classes, and if you want to go the self-taught route, sushi-making kits are abundant. As for sushi chef training, there are a couple sushi schools located at various places across the country (the Sushi Chef Institute in Los Angeles and the California Sushi Academy, to name a few), but the most common way is to simply find employment at a sushi restaurant and express an interest in learning.

Written by Express contributor Robyn Mincher
Photo by Kristoffer Tripplaar for Express