From sushi chef to dog groomer, how one Kansas Citian found his dream job

KANSAS CITY, Missouri - A sushi chef turned dog groomer named Tak Sekimoto is one of 24 midwesterners being profiled in "The Book of Dream Jobs," by Marty McCarty.

Just like his counterparts, Tak tapped into what he loved to do and turned it into a career.

After Tak left Tokyo and settled in Los Angeles, he became a chef at a sushi restaurant. He stayed in the business for 15 years. But as time went on, Tak realized he wanted to be his own boss, and opening his own restaurant just wasn't cutting it.

He says it took time to really look at himself and figure out what made him smile. He always loved animals as a child, especially dogs, so Tak decided to try his hand at dog grooming. He kept his job at the restaurant and went to dog grooming school.

Finally, Tak decided it was time to make a decision and leave the restaurant business. He had friends in Kansas City and knew the real estate would be much cheaper. So in 2006, he made the move. Tak started off by working for another groomer. Then in 2008, he made the scariest leap. He invested in his own store. He launched a web site and bought all the equipment and products he'd need to run the shop the way he wanted it run. He named it Picasso Dog Groomery. It sits right at 45th Street and State Line.

"(I'm) absolutely happier. Work is stressful but at the end of the day I look at the dog and I'm really happy about what I do," said Tak.

"The dogs makes me smile. It might be tough day but I just smile that's what it is," he added.

Today, Tak can groom up to eight dogs a day. Depending on the breed, he can spend 45 minutes to an hour shampooing, clipping and styling. He says he always tries to add his own touch and if the owner doesn't mind he'll even go so far as to paint a dogs nails or tie in a couple of colorful bows.

McCarty says Tak and the other 23 "dreamers" in her book have a common thread.

"They are all just like real regular people doing real regular job and maybe like kind of yearning to do something that they love. I think in each case they made a pretty big change," she said.

McCarty's book is being sold at independent book stores around the metro, including Rainy Day Books in Fairway.

For more information: www.bookofdreamjobs.com