Owner Shelley Hamilton says Inari Sushi is her personal connection to Seymour. Photo: Faith Macale
Photo by
Faith Macale
In the heart of Seymour’s Station St mall sits a cosy and welcoming restaurant, Inari Sushi.
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Owner Shelley Hamilton was inspired to open the store when her Japanese friend suggested starting a sushi speciality place in Seymour.
“In 2019, I went to Japan, just travel around just to see what the food like,” Ms Hamilton said.
“When I come back, I decided I want to go ahead and just a basic small shop with just sushi.”
Inari Sushi opened just before the COVID-19 pandemic and struggled in its first two years, but now, it is thriving.
“We’ve been providing great sushi to Seymour, and not only sushi, but we’re doing everything else,” Ms Hamilton said.
“We’re doing soup or other stuff like fried rice, and just expanding a little bit from the sushi.”
When Ms Hamilton first opened the shop, she was apprehensive because people told her locals might not like eating sushi.
“Now, I see a lot of elderly people in Seymour, they come and get a sushi, and it makes me really happy,” she said.
“Before, everybody was saying ‘I don’t think people in Seymour buy or eat sushi’ and I thought, ‘They’re wrong’.”
“A lot of people love sushi, I think a lot of people want to eat healthy and be moving away from junk foods.”
Ms Hamilton said she hoped the Seymour community saw her sushi as a healthier snack or meal option, especially for children.
“My target customers are a lot of the children because I want to provide healthy food for them,” she said.
“That’s why I like when I see the kids after school come and get a sushi ... it makes me really happy.
“My heart ... oh, I just can’t explain it!”
But Inari Sushi doesn’t just stay inside the shop.
Inari Sushi staff Daisy Pan, Akira Sims, owner Shelley Hamilton, Hanako Okamoto and Tammy Nguyen promotes kindness through their service and food. Photo: Faith Macale
Photo by
Faith Macale
Ms Hamilton said the business provided packs of sushi to schools around the area, such as Puckapunyal Primary School and St Mary’s College.
“We give them a discount, so the kids in Pucka Primary can order sushi every Friday,” she said.
“I did that as well with some areas with the children that can't afford, we give them a discount with the sushi.”
Ms Hamilton said she felt the sushi shop was her connection to the community.
“I know pretty much everybody that walks into my shop,” she said.
“When I go out, or I walked out the sushi shop (people will ask), ‘Oh Shelley, how are you going?’ or I’ll go to supermarket and see all my customers there.”
She said having that personal connection with her customers made the experience of eating at her shop more enjoyable.
“We want to provide that kindness,” she said.
“Not only kindness through life or everyday life, but also kindness through the food.”
She said she showed kindness through food by picking ingredients that promoted good health as well as being delicious.
“Look at my pork kimchi (sushi roll); kimchi is actually very good for us,” she said.
Kimchi is a traditional Korean dish made with salted, fermented vegetables and is nutrient-dense, full of probiotics, and may help support the immune system and reduce inflammation, according to Healthline.
“That’s why I want to try to incorporate some of those food into my sushi or into my food,” Ms Hamilton said.
“They bring a healthy lifestyle to everybody who eats it.”
In January 2024, Ms Hamilton was the Australia Day Ambassador, a role she said Inari Sushi had helped her achieve.
“I love this community,” she said.
“I try to support the community, support a lot of small clubs, all the organisations that need help.
“Kindness ... Kindness like, you be happy for people if they do well, happy for people if they are eating well and growing well. That is my message to the community.”
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