LI's Chef Eric LeVine Appearing On 'Morimoto’s Sushi Master': 'It Was A Great Experience'

FARMINGDALE, NY — Chef Eric LeVine will be featured in multiple episodes of "Morimoto's Sushi Master," where he got hands-on with a cuisine he learned a lot about on the fly.

LeVine, the head chef and a partner at 317 Main Street and Vico in Farmingdale, spent two weeks in Los Angeles in October filming for the show hosted by chef Masaharu Morimoto.

The six-episode show is set to begin airing on Roku on June 16. 317 Main Street, which shares an address with its name, will host a viewing party for the debut from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Tickets are free, but people do need one to attend.

"It’s exciting," LeVine told Patch. "It’s very different and outside my normal wheelhouse. Sushi isn’t something I do all the time. We play with it here at 317, but it’s not something I’d think I’d compete in."

LeVine said he was hesitant when he first got invited to the show.

"Here I was, doing something completely out of my element and going up against sushi chefs," he said. "One of them actually has a Michelin star sushi restaurant in Florida."

LeVine, a "Chopped" champion who has also competed on "Beat Bobby Flay," "Food Paradise," and "Alex Vs America," knew "Morimoto's Sushi Master" would be a challenge. So he put his head down and went about his business.

317 Main Street sometimes rotates in sushi sashimi-type dishes. The sourcing of ingredients is done the same way as sushi restaurants, but the interpretation is LeVine's own. It is not on the menu at Vico, an Italian restaurant modeled after the Amalfi Coast, whatsoever.

LeVine said he didn't know competing on a sushi show would be as challenging as it was — and he's competed plenty of times.

"This is one of those things where I was so outside of my element and so outside of my comfort zone, it was great," he said. "That pushed me to stay more focused or try different things I’ve never tried before. It was a very good experience, because even though I’ve been doing this for 42 years, I’m still learning, and it’s great."

LeVine learned techniques he had never used or even seen before. He said the show reminded him of his time on "Chopped."

"When you’re on 'Chopped,' you don’t know what you’re getting," the chef said. "Sometimes you don’t even know the ingredients. Well here, there were a couple of techniques I’d never done. Like making cucumber roll? I’ve never done that. It’s a hand technique that takes time to learn. You’re sawing back and forth while you’re spinning the cucumber. I’ve never done it before. So here I am in the competition, and now I’ve got to do it. It was a little nerve wracking the first day. After the first day of competition, the second day, it got better, third day, and so on. It was a great experience."

LeVine said he did "very well" on the show despite his limited experience with sushi.

He enjoyed cooking for Morimoto, an Iron Chef who he respects and looks up to.

"Out of all the chefs I know from Food Network, [Morimoto's] the only one who I would always want to compete against, because he’s so good and technically sound that it always intrigued me to go up against the best," LeVine said. "This is his show, so it wasn’t us going up against him. It was him being the judge, jury and executioner. After the first day of competition, I knew I wasn’t in my element, and the cards were certainly stacked up against me."

Overall, though, LeVine called the experience fun and a good time.

"I learned a lot about myself and my approach. I got to meet some amazing chefs."

It was also interesting, he said, to compete on a show with a longer format. Most other shows he has been on were one-day events as opposed to the two-week gauntlet of "Morimoto's Sushi Master."

"It was tough being away from the restaurants, but I came back and nothing was burnt down," LeVine said.

LeVine arrived to Farmingdale in summer 2019 when he and restaurateur Joe Fortuna opened 317 Main Street. The chef already had "Chopped," "Beat Bobby Flay" and "Food Paradise" on his resume, which built immediate intrigue from foodies in the village and beyond. The gastropub has since become one of the most popular restaurants on Farmingdale's Main Street — an area renowned for its food scene. LeVine refers to 317 as a "monster."

LeVine has since appeared on "Alex Vs America," while "Morimoto's Sushi Master" is waiting in the wings. His appearances — even on local television — help bring customers in to 317 Main Street, Vico and The Nutty Irishman and helps put Farmingdale on the map "even more-so," LeVine said. He's excited for what his appearance on the Roku show will bring.

"Even though we’re almost four years old, people are still learning about 317 Main Street. So it’s great for that kind of stuff. It’s interesting when you get stopped at the store, on Main Street or at the restaurant because someone recognizes you for being on one of these shows. It’s kind of a cool thing when people want to share an experience at one of your places. To me, that means a lot. That’s why I talk to our customers."

Customers at 317 and Vico will likely receive a visit from LeVine, who stops to chat with as many patrons as he can. It's the experience he wants to offer his clientele.

"It’s not just about the food, the service or the cocktails. It’s about everything from the time you walk in to the time you leave. How do we make that experience great? And what do we do to fix the issues? We never want there to be an issue, but if there’s an issue, we’re looking to say, ‘How do we get better?’ I’m always getting better. I’m always working on new things, new ideas. To me, as a chef, that really is important. I don’t ever want to be stagnant in my optic or stuck in a rut. There’s enough of that out there."

LeVine's mentor, David Burke, instilled the mindset in him that he should never stop cooking, learning and growing.

The mindset recently paid dividends, as LeVine was named the best chef on Long Island in the 2023 Bethpage Best of LI Awards.

"There’s some luck involved in it with right place, right time," LeVine said. "But effort gets you the results every single time. You can’t ever complain about not getting the results when you don’t put the effort in. I’m a true believer in that. I’ve done that for myself on a personal level, my physical level, because I needed to. Everything transcends into everything I do every day. It all evolves and all moves forward."