Zach Hammer-Huber started at Goma just weeks after it opened, scrubbing dishes and learning how to hold a knife. Nearly four years later, he’s now the sous chef at chef Dante Boccuzzi’s modern Asian restaurant in Downtown Cleveland, a role he stepped into after working his way through every station including back of house, appetizers and then sushi rolls.
“I dropped out of culinary school to work here,” he says. “Now I kind of just have fun with it, because I know what I’m doing.”
Although he initially had no particular interest in the dish, Hammer-Huber was drawn to the art and discipline of sushi-making.
As he trained under Boccuzzi, Hammer-Huber became increasingly drawn to the precision and patience the craft's demands. He was especially fascinated by the care that goes into rice preparation, pointing out that in Japan, it can take nearly a decade to master this step.
Now a sous chef, Hammer-Huber credits his growth to the immersive, from-the-ground-up training he received in Goma’s kitchen. His journey to mastering the nuances of sushi has deepened not only his skillset but also his respect for the culinary tradition he now proudly represents.
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“I thought, I’m learning so much more here than I am in culinary school, so I just jumped right in, started full time and haven’t looked back,” Hammer-Huber explains.
Before he mastered sushi rolls, he was busy perfecting something spicier: his own hot sauce brand. Slim Reaper Hot Sauce, launched in September 2022, had been years in the making. Experimenting with recipes back in high school, Hammer-Huber wanted to craft something that went beyond just heat while using the renowned Carolina Reaper pepper.
“I wanted to make a hot sauce that brought out the flavor of it, so when you taste it, you get smokiness, sweetness and then you get the slow burn at the end,” Hammer-Huber says. “It's not something that's gonna kill you right away.”
The brand also pays tribute to Hammer-Huber’s cousin John “Owen” Dumm, who passed away at 19 from Duchenne muscular dystrophy. A self-proclaimed food critic with a love for bold flavors, Dumm was one of the first to champion Hammer-Huber’s hot sauce.
Each year, Hammer-Huber sets up a stand at Picnic in the Park, also known as the John Owen’s Adventure picnic, to sell bottles of Slim Reaper Hot Sauce and branded T-shirts.
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Despite describing himself as an introvert, Hammer-Huber is putting himself out there as a notable chef in Cleveland’s digital creator scene.
Beyond his hot sauce brand and his sushi work at Goma, the sous chef has also become known for livestreams on TikTok, amounting to 10-plus hours a week over five days. In these videos, he offers a glimpse into his world of professional sushi-making, giving viewers an unfiltered look into the pace and precision of life behind the sushi bar.
He starts each stream around noon, walking his audience through a meticulous prep process, washing and seasoning rice, filleting fish and breaking down vegetables, all while explaining each step with clarity and ease. What might seem routine in the kitchen becomes a masterclass in culinary technique for those watching at home.
As dinner service ramps up, the stream shifts into real-time action. Viewers watch as he assembles rolls, prepares appetizers and bounces between stations. The camera captures not just the food, but the flow of the kitchen itself: its urgency, timing and choreography.
His popular “Will It Sushi?” segment on TikTok brings a dose of playful experimentation to the mix, where he challenges himself to turn unexpected ingredients like chickpeas or protein bars into fully composed sushi rolls.
“You know, why not film it?” Hammer-Huber says. “It’s kind of fun trying to put something different in a sushi roll every day.”
It’s part-entertainment, part-challenge and all part of his growing online persona.
The stream doubles as a subtle promotional tool. Viewers who mention the TikTok stream at Goma get free edamame, and Slim Reaper Hot Sauce makes a frequent cameo. Without feeling like an ad, the livestream blends education, authenticity and smart personal branding.
That’s because Hammer-Huber, since he started at Goma nearly four years ago, has always been himself — in the kitchen and on his live stream.
"It's more for my personal brand, just showing people who I am and trying to have fun with it,” he says. "I really enjoy showing people what I do."
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