Take a moment to imagine your favorite sushi restaurant. Picture yourself seated at a table. You’ve placed your order, and the server carefully places a steaming bowl of miso soup in front of you. You use the large spoon accompanying the soup to scoop up pieces of tofu and seaweed. Before too long, your rice-encased Philadelphia and California rolls arrive, ginger and wasabi on the side, and you reach for the soy sauce on the table and pour a generous amount into the small ramekin bowl on your plate. You’re all ready to dip and taste those familiar flavors.
That experience…is not the one you’ll have at Sushi Rosé.
Sushi Rosé isn’t your typical sushi restaurant. Instead, they serve up Nikkei-style sushi: a blend of Japanese umami and fresh, citrusy Peruvian flavors that come together to create a dining experience you can’t find anywhere else in Winston-Salem.
Certain elements will feel familiar, and other parts of your visit to Sushi Rosé will likely be a whole new dining adventure. In the mood for flavorful edamame as an appetizer? The Charred Edamame will hit the spot–but you’ll also find a more citrus-forward note than you’re used to at most sushi restaurants.
Other flavors will be completely different from any you’ve had with traditional sushi. If you want to immerse yourself in the true Sushi Rosé experience, opt for a classically Nikkei dish like the Acevichado Roll, featuring a spicy ceviche-flavored sauce alongside shrimp, tuna, cucumber, and avocado topped with crispy fried sweet potato spirals.
For those new to Nikkei food, which was born in Peru via Japanese influence, expect to experience Peruvian ingredients like potatoes, lime, large Inca corn, chili, and cassava. Meanwhile, the Japanese half of this food marriage brings seafood, as well as familiar flavors like soy to the mix. The result is bright, fresh dishes–not just sushi–that sometimes have a flavorful kick to them as well.
For the people behind Sushi Rosé, a similar fusion has taken place. The five owners each bring skills and past experiences to the table, and together they’ve fashioned a restaurant that’s a Venn diagram of all of them, including elements of both the familiar and the fresh.
The result is a dining establishment that feels perfectly at home in the Innovation Quarter, a part of town that celebrates the entrepreneur, the pushing of boundaries, and the cutting-edge, all with the signature hospitality that Winston-Salem is known for.
Diversifying the Winston-Salem Dining Scene
Nevin and Karen Anuran, a husband-and-wife team, are two of the owners behind Sushi Rosé. Self-described serial entrepreneurs, they (along with fellow Sushi Rosé owner, Ben Cerna) were brick-and-mortar business owners in the Triad before venturing into the restaurant industry last May. In addition to Sushi Rosé, the three helm Melrose Coffee on Stratford Road, as well as its next-door neighbor, Hemporia, a CBD products superstore, and a second Melrose Coffee location in Greensboro. In fact, the name Sushi Rosé is a nod to Melrose Coffee, making the “rose” portion a subtly shared element.
Despite being established members of the Triad business community, the three entrepreneurs are all from outside of North Carolina. In fact, none of the Sushi Rosé owners are native to Winston-Salem. As a result, the perspective they bring from each of their home states–and in some cases, home countries–helps to inform the business endeavors they’ve planted in North Carolina.
Karen Anuran originally hails from Toronto, Canada, while her husband and his brother Neil Anuran, also a minority owner, have roots in Los Angeles. Two other owners, Katrina and Jay Capistrano, both have extensive experience in the financial sector and arrived in North Carolina from the New Jersey/New York area. Cerna hails from Peru originally, which is part of the inspiration for Sushi Rosé’s Nikkei-influenced menu.
What do all those places have in common? A vibrant, diverse food scene, which is something the Sushi Rosé owners wanted to help expand in Winston-Salem.
“There are wonderful restaurants here, but there’s a lot of Southern stuff,” says Karen Anuran. “Meanwhile, there are so many people coming from big cities–from California, from New York, from Miami. We just thought since there are so many transplants, they’re all looking for an experience they’re used to, so let’s bring that.”
None of the owners came to this venture with restaurant experience, but they were excited to roll up their sleeves and figure out what can be a competitive and challenging industry. A key element to accomplishing that vision was bringing in executive chef and minority owner Armin Anuran, who, needless to say, does know food. Armin Anuran, who is Nevin Anuran’s cousin, plied his craft in a high-end sushi restaurant in L.A. and was excited to couple his deep experience in the world of traditional sushi with the new challenge of adding a Peruvian twist.
Bringing the Big City Vibes
From the moment you walk into Sushi Rosé, it already feels like you’re being transported to Toronto or L.A. Sleek black walls are accented by tropical wallpaper behind a long bar, all overlooking an epoxied black and white floor. The cocktail menu is a departure from most things you’ll find in Winston-Salem, with flavors like passion fruit and yuzu, and the menu boasts fresh, elevated, authentic Nikkei dishes, all plated beautifully.
“We’ve actually had a lot of guests that are visiting from out of town and they say things like, ‘This really reminds me of a New York vibe or a California vibe, or something I would see in Miami,’” Katrina Capistrano says.
Adding to the more urban feel, every Friday and Saturday night at 10:30 pm, the restaurant transforms into a night lounge. The fun continues until 2 a.m., with a DJ and dimmer lighting to help shift the mood.
Sushi Rosé sends out frequent emails to keep in touch with their customers, making sure they’re aware of upcoming events like a Galentine’s brunch and omakase (or “chef’s choice”) nights.
“We’re always trying to break the mold on everything,” Karen Anuran says.
Sophisticated Meets Southern Hospitality at Sushi Rosé
Though they want to do their part to elevate and diversify the food scene here in Winston-Salem, Sushi Rosé owners say it’s just as important for them to do that in a very, well, Winston way.
“We wanted to bring the big city to Winston, but with Southern charm,” Katrina Capistrano says. “It’s not unusual for you to come here on a Friday or Saturday night and have one of the owners come and talk to the table. Customers know us by name, we know them by name, and they all have their favorite servers.”
Sushi Rosé likes to refer to itself as “modern fine dining.” It’s fine dining when it comes to the quality and innovation of the food, but they put a more up-to-date spin on the experience. There’s a bit of a learning curve for most first-time guests at Sushi Rosé, and the restaurant aims to hold education and hospitality in equal measure.
For example, while your server is happy to bring traditional sushi garnishes like wasabi, ginger and soy sauce if desired, they’re not offered by default. Why? Armin Anuran believes the sushi is so flavorful on its own that he recommends trying it solo first.
“There’s going to be a lot of flavor that’s going to come at you, and we want you to taste that authenticity as the chef intended,” Katrina Capistrano says.
Feeding Collaboration
Although Sushi Rosé ended up in the Innovation Quarter by happenstance–the owners fell in love at first sight with the space in the Link Apartments building on 5th Street–it felt like fate. The restaurant space was formerly a butcher shop, located next to DeBeen Espresso.
“Our real estate agent presented us with this space, and, as soon as we came in, we’re like, ‘Oh, wow, we see the potential!’” says Karen Anuran.
Sushi Rosé fits seamlessly into the neighborhood and immediately started building relationships with other iQ business owners.
“We’re our own little community here…everyone supports everybody,” Katrina Capistrano says. Sushi Rosé connected with fellow restaurant owners in the iQ, and they’ve also built strong relationships with businesses of all types, as well as many of the people who work and live in this part of town.
The owners appreciate how there’s no competition between the restaurants in the iQ, since they all bring something different to the table.
“Businesses here are always like, ‘Hey, how are you guys doing? What can we help with?’” Katrina Capistrano says.
Because of this “there’s a seat for everyone at the table” mindset, area eateries can use their energy to band together and find ways to bring even more people into the iQ to eat, drink, and play. Several iQ restaurant owners have been brainstorming ways to drive customers to their part of town by co-sponsoring events.
“I think there are going to be a lot of changes that we’re looking at, especially with the build-out [of Phase II of the iQ],” Katrina said. “I think this space is turning into that next area of growth for restaurants.”
Sushi Rosé is also working hard to appeal to iQ neighbors, with a program where local businesses can register with the restaurant and then their employees can show their badge and get a discount when dining at Sushi Rosé. They also plan to get a catering arm going soon, allowing businesses both in and out of the iQ to easily bring Nikkei meals directly into their spaces.
Feeling the Entrepreneurial Itch?
If you’re pondering entrepreneurship yourself, the Sushi Rosé team has some advice to offer: Research, research, and then research some more. And be willing to iterate along the way, they recommend to anyone interested in following in their restaurateur footsteps.
Know the area you’re entering well to get a sense of what other businesses are already in the city and neighborhood and then identify a gap in the market, they advise. Get smart when it comes to restaurant safety and health codes. Pay a lot of attention to the cost of goods. Invest in your staff–find great people and train them really well.
Then make sure the whole crew can nail it before you open.
“We had a lot of tastings for the staff and a lot of dry runs with the kitchen,” Karen Anuran says. “We put them through the ringer before we opened to make sure we could handle anything and get a sense of the flow. We’re always learning.”
“I mean, we’ve changed our menu how many times since we’ve opened?” Katrina Capistrano adds. “We’re constantly listening to people that come in here, learning from their comments.”
The Sushi Rosé team has one more piece of advice for other entrepreneurs: go the extra mile when it comes to authenticity.
Sushi Rosé introduced Winston-Salem to Nikkei-style cuisine, and the team takes that responsibility seriously. Since Ben Cerna is Peruvian, they incorporated some of his grandmother’s recipes to make sure the flavors were there. Armin Anuran, Sushi Rosé’s chef, studied Peruvian cuisine and visited different Nikkei establishments around the country to ensure they fully captured the style of food.
All of that attention to detail paid off.
“We’ve had several Peruvians–legit Nikkei folks–who have come in here and said that our food is on point,” Katrina says.
Ready to plan your next dining adventure in the Innovation Quarter? Experience that “legit Nikkei” yourself by visiting Sushi Rosé or check out all the area has to offer by way of restaurants and bars.
