Eric Masaki at his Law Enforcement Academy Graduation. Photos provided by the Masaki family.

After 20 years of refining his skills as a sushi chef, Eric Masaki is trading his knife for a badge.

The 39-year-old restaurateur known for the local eateries that bear his name, Masaki’s Kyoto Japanese Restaurant and Masaki’s Mongolian Grill, recently graduated from the College of the Redwoods Police Academy and is training as a deputy with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office.

“I was drawn to this job because I want to keep the community safe for my kids,” Masaki said. “Family has reminded me that I have a much more protective side of me that I’ve been exploring.”

As a child, he was intrigued by the allure of law enforcement. He was fond of the TV show “CHiPS,” and loved to talk about guns and anything tactical.

But during his teenage years, Masaki landed a job at a sushi restaurant in his hometown of Thousand Oaks and spent the next decade training under as many chefs as he could cling to.

“When I was finishing high school and starting college, I needed a job to make ends meet and I found myself in a Japanese restaurant. My background is Japanese so I thought it would be good to learn about my culture and I ended up really enjoying it,” Masaki said. “Soon, school was less of a priority and becoming a really great chef became my focus.”

Then, when his future wife moved north to attend Humboldt State University, he followed.

“I wanted to open my own restaurant, but I went to Kyoto and they were exactly what I wanted,” Masaki said. “I figured there weren’t enough sushi lovers in this town to have two of the same exact type of place, so I worked there for a short time and then offered to buy it, and they were happy to do so.”

Masaki purchased the restaurant in 2007, and during the next seven years, he became friendly with the law enforcement that frequented his business.

“While speaking with regulars at my restaurant who are in law enforcement, I became more and more interested,” Masaki said. “Then about a year ago, I looked into joining the academy. “

A month into the 18-week training program, the former chef now proudly wears a sheriff’s uniform.

A bulletproof vest puffs up his chest beneath a khaki deputy’s uniform embroidered with his name, and thick-brimmed glasses rest between his tightly buzzed haircut and long bristly mustache.

“Every morning I put on the uniform. That’s something I worked really hard to get to so it’s exciting for me,” Masaki said. “It’s a sense of responsibility. It’s a trust the community has put in me to keep them safe and make the world a better place.”

But the former chef will need to complete his training before he can officially join the ranks as a Humboldt County deputy.

“Historically, 10 to 20 percent of our trainees don’t make it and we have to release them,” said Lt. Wayne Hanson of the Humboldt County Sheriff’s office. “It’s not a guarantee to complete the program. There’s a lot to learn.”

However, Hanson said Masaki has done a great job so far and doesn’t show any red flags that would warrant a release from the training program.

“People like Eric make the best deputies because they have life experience. With age comes wisdom and that’s what we’re looking for,” Hanson said. “The knowledge that you gain gives you a better temperament; you don’t get excited as easily as you do when you’re younger.  You understand people make mistakes, so you have more compassion.”

Masaki said fatherhood has taught him patience that he applies to everyday life.

“Being a father has shown me patience above everything else,” he said. “Whether it’s patience with employees at the restaurant or talking to any of the contact I’ll be meeting on the streets.”

The father of two said his family has been extremely supportive through the transitional period.

“My wife has been amazing all through the academy and the beginning process here,” Masaki said. “She’s realized what it takes to get our family through this and she’s been a helpful and supportive factor.”

Masaki’s wife, who will remain nameless as a safety precaution, now manages both restaurants alone, but said she fully supports her husband’s decision.

“The hard part is not having him there. He has a very big personality and is a very talented chef,” she said. “It’s been very difficult, especially having two little kids. They’re happiness comes first, then the restaurants, then my husband.”

Masaki’s missing presence isn’t the only burden the couple’s restaurants have endured. Due to sheriff’s policy which prevents peace officers from selling alcohol in the same county they work in, the Masakis had to sell their restaurant bars to an employee.

“It’s definitely a bit of a sacrifice. But we worked the numbers, and it’s not going to be detrimental,” Masaki said. “We’re still going to be making money off the food, and it’s definitely worth it to continue pursuing the new career.”

Although Masaki has fully immersed himself in his new career, time away from the restaurants has reignited a passion he developed more than 20 years ago: cooking.

“If you’re doing it all day at work, you’re not so inclined to do it when you get home. But now I find myself cooking more at home,” he said. “Last night after a good day [at the sheriff’s office], I was still amped up when I got home, so I cooked dinner for everyone.”