Today we’d like to introduce you to Joshua Dorcak.
Hi joshua, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My story starts in the Bay Area, California. I went to culinary school at the CCA (California Culinary Academy) in 2004. I was 18 years old and fresh out of high school. I had never worked in a restaurant before starting this career path; I just knew that I liked cooking and dining. During my time at this school, my world seemed to click; I was focused and driven to learn more. I spent a few years in the San Francisco area and then found Ashland, Oregon. I was 21 when I moved to Ashland, Oregon. I have remained in this community because it felt like the Wild West in a way. There was not much going on as far as a dining scene. As the years ticked by, I was struggling with how to make my dream of owning a restaurant a reality, and I started to research other areas that I could move to that would be better to expand my career. After a few trips to other countries and cities, it dawned on me that I was looking at my area through the wrong lens. I was living in a chef’s utopia. I started to research the area’s wild ingredients and soon discovered a new passion for foraging and using the region as true inspiration. Next was a trip to Tokyo, where my world all came together. I was struggling with the general operation plan of opening a restaurant, and Tokyo blew that problem out of the way. Small and sustainable to a lifestyle was the key. Low labor, exacting vision that guests would seek out, pre-payment to eliminate the negative aspects of dining. It was all so clear to me after my trip to Japan; I started MAS as a pop-up in the basement of a bakery pretty much immediately.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Restaurants are never a smooth road. Smooth in the sense that the vision has really been able to evolve from the original plan and mature over the years, yes. Not smooth in the fact of Covid-19 happening; that was not great. Secondly, really figuring out how to successfully operate a 14-seat restaurant in a very seasonal town. I have been blessed to have amazing people in the community who have really adopted MAS in the town.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a chef and the owner of MAS and NAMA. I specialize in cooking with the seasons. I do adhere more to the Japanese almanac, 76 moments in a year, rather than just Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. There are many things I get to be proud of, but the main thing that I take pride in is the validation I get every night the restaurant does a service; there is always guests that leave absolutely stoked to have spent time with us at MAS. The thing that sets me apart is the connection that guests get with me at the restaurant; we have conversations, laugh, joke, talk about other dining experiences that were amazing and also total wastes of time. It’s just a great time to connect while cooking for the guests who choose us for their night out.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
The thing I like most about this Town is the size and how easy it is to live stress free. The one thing I least like about this Town is the lack of business in the winter months.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://masashland.com
