Lunch with Lena: Nama Sushi in Central Market brings sushi, ramen, katsu to downtown York

This occasional series explores Central Pennsylvania eateries, sharing stories about the food and people behind the businesses.

Roberto “Rob” Katindig’s intro to the culinary world started when he was 16 years old after his family immigrated to Philadelphia from the Philippines.

He lived in North Philadelphia, where he attended Olney High School, and worked as a dishwasher at Mikado Thai Pepper, a restaurant in Ardmore.

In 2003, he was a sushi helper at Morimoto, the acclaimed Michelin-starred sushi restaurant owned by famous Japanese chef celebrity Masaharu Morimoto, famed for his role as an Iron Chef.

A few years later, Katindig moved to the West Coast where he worked as a bartender at a restaurant in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2007. "I had a Japanese chef that taught me everything − I just kept watching him and wanted to learn the art."

His culinary travels continued as he ventured to Shun Japanese Kitchen in Houston, which served a Texas-influenced take on traditional Japanese cuisine.

Katindig worked in "Hell's Kitchen" type restaurants, where the atmosphere was often stressful and tense, but the quality of the food spoke for itself. Recognizing the value of these high-stakes experiences helped develop his skills. “Working at these restaurants put the polishing touches I needed.”

Last year, he found himself back in Pennsylvania, this time in York, where 10 years ago he tried to open a sushi stand right behind his current spot in Central Market. His stand closed after three years because Katindig felt the area was not ready for his cuisine.

His brother, Errol, stayed in the area and started a business in West York: Diggiefit, a gym, and suggested he come back last year to take a chance and open a new business.

When he returned, Rob saw an untapped market for sushi in the downtown area and decided to take a second chance, opening Nama Sushi in April 2023.

Nama Sushi

The quaint, colorful stand adorned with red and purple paper lanterns, vibrant drinks on display, and positive energy greeting you, Nama Sushi stands out in Central Market.

The space is small, but they manage to churn out delicately wrapped sushi rolls that are too pretty to eat. Listening to upbeat music while working helps, Katindig said.

The name of the stand comes from the Japanese word nama, which means raw. Their sushi is a fusion of flavors Katindig calls East meets West, made with fresh, high-quality fish that's delivered from Philadelphia every week.

They've also added chicken katsu to the menu: a Japanese-style fried chicken prepared with Panko breadcrumbs, which when cooked create a crispy yet juicy meat cutlet, served over rice and vegetables. Other items include several variations of ramen, from tonkotsu to shoyu to spicy miso.

The addition of ramen to the menu came after he spent time in Narita, a city in Chiba, Japan. "I love ramen. I was intrigued by the masters in Japan, I studied it, and now I'm doing it."

"It's all about the broth and knowing the traditional aromatics that go along with making the ramen." And the mouth-watering pork broth takes at least 48 hours to prepare.

Katindig's his favorite part about cooking is the details that go into creating dishes and the teamwork behind the counter.

Since opening in April last year, York has embraced his cuisine, and the business has seen so much progress that they will be expanding to a stand almost twice its current size, directly in front of their current one, on April 5, which will allow for even further menu additions in the future.

Here's what you need to try:

Shaggy Dog Sushi Roll: A delicately wrapped sushi roll with shrimp tempura, avocado, crab, eel sauce and topped with a spicy aioli.

Price: $14.95

Tonkotsu Ramen: Originated in Fukuoka on the Kyushu Island of Japan, this creamy, pork-based broth is topped with seasoned hard-boiled egg, bean sprouts, Bok choy, bamboo, scallions and corn.

Price: $16

Sushi Tacos: A creation of his own, this dish has a crunch to it, softness from the fish and a balance of sweet and spicy flavors. Katindig takes a fried sheet of seaweed, and tops it with ahi tuna, salmon, white tuna, edamame, seaweed, avocado, cilantro and spicy aioli.

Price: $14.95 (three pieces)

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Nama Sushi to expand space and menu at York PA's Central Market