Hi @moonboy403,
In a vacuum / perfect world, I agree.
There’s a whole subtext here that I should’ve just added, but I got tired of typing. There’s been many years of “bait & switch” openings that many of us have seen over the years (before you joined). Usually a famous Japanese chef or brand opens up in L.A., that chef/brand uses that fame to draw people in; and they leave (leaving it to others to cook) while cashing in. (For example, after drawing people into the opening of Ramen California, famous Japanese ramen chef Shigetoshi Nakamura quietly left the restaurant, leaving it in the hands of poorly trained staff that clearly weren’t Nakamura-san, but the additional articles and folks who were late to the party still thought it was run & all the dishes cooked by him. This has happened time and again.
In the case of Champion’s Curry they are pushing the angle of Japanese Curry from Kanazawa, Japan. That comment I made was in response to various posts I’ve read here and there (not on FTC, other sites, social media, etc.) of people proclaiming it “legit Japanese curry from Kanazawa, Japan!” “it’s authentic Japanese curry!”, etc.
So I was pointing out that it’s not OG Japanese staff running this branch, it’s locals. I didn’t say the locals can’t cook.
For the Chinese-run Japanese restaurant, there can be a different / unique execution with another culture’s version of a dish. I’ve been to Korean Sushi restaurants and Chinese Sushi restaurants and they have their own sensibilities and flair. (Note I didn’t say Korean Sushi or Chinese Sushi was "bad’ or they “can’t cook”.)
Of course anyone can cook anything if they learn the craft and care about it enough and have the skills. If you read my glowing post on Tendon Tempura Carlos Junior, I think Peruvian Chef Carlos Pinto Jr. is fantastic and is making the best Tempura Bowls in L.A.
I’ve seen the opposite as well: I know quite a few people who won’t go to Shibumi because it’s run by a “white guy” (Chef David Schlosser). Sadly those people don’t believe he can make “authentic” Japanese food even though I’ve told them about some great meals there and special things like how he makes amazing chinmi.
I’ll clarify my post as it relied on a lot of subtext / historical happenings, etc., it was just getting long (spent too much time typing it up) and rushed it.