UMI

Bridging the Gap Between East and West

2010-12-20T12:47:00.000-08:00

The Japanese Food Festival

bringing the East and the West together

for one day of food, fun, and cultural performances

Chef Andy Matsuda

and his Sushi Chef Institute students

demonstrated their sushi skills

The Sushi Bar was a popular booth at the festival
run by the students of the Sushi Chef Institute

We're glad to see Chef Andy Matsuda and his students participating in this annual event, bridging the gap between the East and the West.

Thank You Chef Andy and Bridge USA!

Continue to follow UMI for information on fish and continue to eat sushi, One Fish at a time...

Sushi Chef Institute

222 South Hewitt Street

Los Angeles, CA 90012

(213) 617-6825

www.sushischool.net

Jay Terauchi and Jeff Nitta

Toro Truffle Angeleno Sushi

2010-12-20T12:16:00.000-08:00

All This in One Bite!

Toro Truffle Angeleno

This piece of sushi includes:

1. Marinated Toro

2. Miso Hollandaise Sauce

3. Caviar

4. Pink Peppercorns

5. Gold Leaf

6. Black Truffle

7. Micro Wasabi Leaf

8. Served with a Beet Sauce

UMI was able to taste this incredible culinary experience all in one bite at K-ZO in Culver City. Creative sushi doesn't have to only be a sushi roll. Tell us what your favorite creative sushi/roll is and who makes it.

Continue to follow UMI as we explore One Fish at a time...

Happy Holidays!

K-ZO

9240 Culver Blvd.

Culver City, CA 90232

(310) 202-8890

Sushi Used to Calm Diplomatic Tensions

2010-10-21T00:05:00.000-07:00

From China Real Time:

Sushi was used in Norway to calm tensions between China and Japan. Who would have thought that SUSHI was used between two world powers? It's just food... 8,734 pieces of sushi was used to create this sushi mosaic and thus a Guinness Book World Record.

Pass the soy sauce...

Norwegian Seafood Export Council

For more information: http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2010/10/20/fishy-china-accepts-norway-sushi-prize/

Jay Terauchi/Jeff Nitta

Locals Only

2010-10-01T15:33:00.001-07:00

A common question that comes up at the fish market and sushi bars is what's a good "local" fish?
Here's one that's not only local, but tasty too...

Local Sardine

Kazunori Nozawa of Sushi Nozawa says "local sardines are great" and Chef Tommy Kosaka of Sushi Dragon agrees.

Growing up in Tokyo, Chef Tommy learned that traditional sushi is using small fish from Tokyo Bay and sardines are what he grew up with. Besides it being traditional and sustainable, Chef Tommy also serves it because it's a healthy choice for his customers. Two of his regulars told him that their blood pressure had gone down because of eating more sardines.

Chef Nozawa only serves the very best and if you use locally grown or caught ingredients, it's even better. "It's costly but you have to do it the right way", says Nozawa-san.

Sardine Sashimi

Anytime you have a good product, you don't have to do much with it. My favorite way to really enjoy good sardines at the sushi bar is with ponzu (citrus soy sauce) and grated ginger. At home, I love them marinated in olive oil, a pinch of salt, and a squeeze of lemon.

Fried Sardine Bones

In the Asian culture, nothing gets thrown away, even the bones are fried and make a nice crunchy finish to a great fish dish.

"Sardines provide your body with proteins essential for building and maintaining muscle mass. Researchers also are investigating how fish oils may speed recovery from certain sports injuries", says The Sardine Diet. Studies indicate that Omega-3s may improve the healing of ligament injuries by accelerating collagen synthesis.

Regardless if you eat sardines for its health benefits or because they're sustainable, it's a great tasting fish.

Please continue to follow UMI as we bring you more information on great seafood and sushi, One Fish at a time... Please tell us what you think.

Chef Kazunori Nozawa
Sushi Nozawa

11288 Ventura Blvd. #C

Studio City, CA 91604

(818) 508-7017

Chef Tommy Kosaka

Sushi Dragon

8069 Vineland Ave

Sun Valley, CA 91352

(818) 768-4507

Article and photographs by Jeffrey Nitta and Jay Terauchi

Did You Know It's RAW?

2010-10-01T12:59:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's how I ordered it. Sashimi translates to "fresh slice" and usually means raw seafood. If you walk into a sushi bar and it smells like fish, you should probably ask for the kitchen menu. Fresh seafood should smell like the ocean and doesn't have a fishy smell.

In a traditional Kaiseki multi-course meal, the sashimi course is served at the beginning. Heavier foods and dishes are served latter in the meal.

A Sashimi Course

At the sushi bar, the chef will always serve sashimi in odd numbered pieces, such as 3, 5, or 7. If you're served an even number, I would say they weren't trained in the traditional way or just have no idea.

Thinly Sliced White Fish

White fish is usually served with ponzu (citrus soy sauce), green onions, and grated daikon (giant white radish) with chili pepper.

Besides fish, sashimi also includes various types of seafood, including sea urchin (uni), spot prawns (amaebi), giant clam (mirugai), octupus (tako), etc.

Besides fresh fish, the thing about good sashimi si the freshly grated wasabi to go with it. Fresh wasabi isn't the hot, sinus blowing heat that we all know it to be. It's actually really flavorful and on the sweet side. But, we'll talk about fresh wasabi another time.

Freshly Grated Wasabi on a Sharkskin Grater

One of the best sashimi dishes that I've had was a plate of sliced albacore with fried garlic chips and dressed with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and a squeeze of lemon, it was unbelievable.

Anytime you have a great fresh fish, you should have it in its purist form. UMI will continue to bring you information about fish and sushi, let's continue to eat and enjoy sushi.

Please share your sashimi experiences with us.

Domo Arigato

Article by Jeffrey Nitta and Jay Terauchi

Eating Local Amaebi

2010-08-11T15:49:00.001-07:00

Not many people know that California is known for its spot prawns. The spot prawn, also known as "amaebi" in sushi bars, is actually a shrimp. Shrimp have small side flaps that overlap on the first through third abdominal segments and prawns have first and second anterior segments that are closely the same size. Its OK if you didn't notice that either...

Santa Barbara Spot Prawn

People who live on the West Coast are fortunate to be able to get live spot prawns, as they live up and down the coast. A lot of these prawns are caught in the Santa Barbara Channel and San Diego area. They're kept alive in cooled oxygenated tanks. Most of the spot prawns are sold alive, while the others are shipped frozen. Besides restaurants and speciality seafood markets, chances are that you won't find many live spot prawn tanks. Once they die, an enzyme spreads through the body and the meat becomes mushy.

Spot prawns have a very sweet flavor and in Japanese, "amaebi" means sweet shrimp. Most Japanese restaurants serve amaebi raw at the sushi bar.

I was visiting Sushi Dragon in Sun Valley this week. As one of my sushi bar favorites, I ordered "amaebi" sushi. I was lucky enough to get a spot prawn that was a female, so I was also served the "amaebi roe" with a quail egg. There isn't anything better than roe prepared properly with one of the freshest quail eggs I've ever had, they get them from local farmer.

Amaebi Roe (with Quail Egg) and Spot Prawn Sushi

Chef Tommy Kosaka at Sushi Dragon is an experienced chef who has the "head to tail" mind set and uses the entire fish or prawn in this case. For his customers, they're able to try a part of the fish that most have never had before. Chef Tommy spends a lot of his free time in and around the ocean, some mornings you can find him at a local beach surfing.

Deep Fried Amaebi Heads

And YES, the amaebi heads were served just after being served sushi. I realize that not many chefs have the background or training to serve most parts of fish in a delicious manner, meaning we don't want to have "Fear Factor" when dining out. I have some stories, but will have to be for another time... With the problem of overfishing, we must conserve our food supply for generations to come. You might even find out that you like a certain fish part that is usually discarded.

Stay tuned to UMI for more sushi tips and let's continue to eat sushi one fish at a time. If you visit Sushi Dragon, tell Chef Tommy to Hang Ten!

Chef Tommy Kosaka

Sushi Dragon

8069 Vineland Avenue

Sun Valley, CA 91352

Article and photographs by Jay Terauchi

Out of the Sea - Ocean Fresh Fish

2010-05-10T09:42:00.000-07:00

Out of the Sea…

Over the past few months, we’ve met many chefs who have talked about the lesser known varieties of great tasting fish. We came across a few on a recent trip to Ocean Fresh Fish & Seafood Marketing Inc in Los Angeles. We saw a lot of different types of fish and here’s a few that caught our eye:

Striped Jack or Shima Aji

Have I got a recipe to introduce you to…

My All-Time Favorite – Spanish Mackerel

Unusual findings too…

So many chefs are talking about local sardines

UMI thanks Mr. Young Kim and Ocean Fresh Fish & Seafood Marketing Co., Inc for the visit, we’ll be back when we can spend more time.

We’re now off to try some different types of sushi and hope you do too, One Fish at a time…

Ocean Fresh Fish & Seafood Marketing Co., Inc.

1100 South Santa Fe Avenue

Los Angeles, CA 90021

(213) 622-3677

Article and Photos by Jay Terauchi and Jeffrey Nitta

A Hidden Sushi Gem - Sushi Hanada

2010-04-09T16:07:00.000-07:00

When thinking about sushi in Los Angeles, a lot of well known celebrity places come to mind. We found a hidden sushi gem for some of the best sushi I've had outside of Japan, located about an hour North of Los Angeles.

We had the pleasure of being served by Chef Yuki Hanada of Sushi Hanada in Port Hueneme. You don’t find many traditional sushi places around anymore nor will you find a sushi chef that has the knowledge and experience that he has. Traditional sushi begins with the use of local fish and Chef Yuki uses the best possible local ingredients available.

Sashimi Course

Most people don’t understand is the importance of fish preparation; a good chef can bring out the flavor profile of seafood on so many levels. Chef Yuki is one of those master chefs who not only can create a beautiful dish, but also a very tasty one too.

(Left) Squid, Cherrystone Clam, Sea Eel

Chef Yuki’s doesn’t serve a lot of sushi rolls, so you won’t find rainbow rolls on the menu. But you will find some of the most flavorful fish and traditional sushi available. He's a true sushi master.

We thank Yuki-san for an evening filled with unbelievable sushi and great conversation. We’ll be back again…

(Left) Jay Terauchi, Nick Sakagami, Chef Yuki Hanada, Jeffrey Nitta

UMI will continue to introduce you to experienced chefs, One Fish at a time…

Please tell Chef Yuki that UMI says Hello!

Sushi Hanada
475 W. Channel Islands Blvd
Port Hueneme, CA 93041
(805) 984-7978

Edomae Sushi: How Today's Nigiri Sushi Began...

2010-03-17T11:32:00.000-07:00

We don’t really know where sushi actually came from or who invented it. It can be said that sushi was a way to preserve fish and has been around for many centuries. Back then, whole fish would be salted and packed in steamed rice. A chemical reaction would occur and the fish would be preserved. Months later when it came time to eat the fish, the rice would be discarded and the fish eaten. Trevor Corson, author of “The Story of Sushi”, describes the taste of this early sushi as “pungent aged cheese, with butter and vinegar overtones.” It was much different than the pristine fish and rice that we enjoy today.

Edomae Sushi from the early 1800s

Description of the sushi above

This style of sushi dates back to the early 1800’s in Tokyo or Edo, as it was known back then. Edomae means “Tokyo Front” or Tokyo style of sushi with fish from Tokyo Bay. They used the local fish which they caught in the Tokyo Bay area. Majority of the seafood used was Sea Bream, Horse Mackerel, Squid, Mackerel, Tiger Prawns, Gizzard Shad, and many others. The sushi size (fish and rice) was much larger than today’s nigiri sushi and would be consumed in 2-3 bites.

Sushi was sold at stands around Edo (Tokyo), these stands were about the size of today’s hot dog carts. I guess you can say it was an early version of today's Fast Food. These sushi stands had a roof and a noren hanging over the stand, a cloth usually with the proprietor’s name on it. Back then, Zagat and Yelp weren’t around to help you decide where to eat. So you looked at the noren, the dirtier it was the better. Once customers finished with their sushi, they would wipe their hands on the cloth hanging above and go on their way. Hard to believe that sushi began in the streets.

Sushi originated from using local seafood. Ask your chef if they have any local fish and then try it, you might like it.

Continue to eat sushi and UMI will continue to educate you One Fish at a time.

Article by Jay Terauchi

"TUNA" on NHK World

2010-03-02T10:13:00.000-08:00

The King of the Sushi Bar will be featured this Thursday (March 4th) on NHK World's "BEGIN Japanology". They'll take a look at Japan’s most popular fish, TUNA, and explore questions such as “As stocks decline and international quotas are adopted, can Japan’s voracious appetite for tuna be met through new methods such as breeding the fish from eggs?”

We'll be watching, will you? It shows that others are concerned about tuna too. Continue to enjoy sushi and follow UMI One Fish at a time. Arigato...

For more NHK World information on this program: http://tinyurl.com/ydmaln3

First Certified Fish Master in US

2010-02-22T09:55:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Tetsuya Nick Sakagami for being the First Certified Osakana Meister (Fish Master) in the United States. This Japanese course is for experienced fish and restaurant industry personnel and covers information dating back to the early centuries when fish was the main source of food and had to be preserved since there was no refrigeration. Back then, the Japanese invented methods to preserve fish and studied how bacteria interact with the human body. This Osakana Meister Program includes fish science, fishing practices, fish farming throughout the world, fish knowledge, crustaceans, shellfish, seaweed, processed seafood, health and safety, and seafood handling.

Currently, there are a total of 115 Osakana Meisters worldwide with one in the US. These Fish Masters have the knowledge and understanding of our ocean friends. UMI’s very own Tetsuya Nick Sakagami will be sharing his vast knowledge with everyone in the “Osakana’s Corner” at www.uminpo.org.

Congratulations Nick! We hope to learn more from you One Fish at a time.

Tetsuya Nick Sakagami (Left) receiving his Osakana Meister Certification

For information on the Osakana Meister - Program: http://tinyurl.com/yaj2mq5

Congratulations Logan Kock!

2010-02-18T09:50:00.000-08:00

Congratulations Logan Kock on your promotion to Vice President of Strategic Purchasing & Responsible Sourcing, what a great resource Santa Monica Seafood has in you. It was a pleasure learning about Santa Monica Seafood and finding out how passionate you are about fish. With all of your ocean experience, you’re a true waterman and educator of the sea. UMI is proud to have a source like you with an unlimited background.

We’re happy to learn more from you One Fish at a time.

Logan Kock (Left) shows UMI's Nick Sakagami around the facility

Now that's a Lobster!

Photos by Jeffrey Nitta

The Lone Fisherman

2010-01-09T09:05:00.000-08:00

Just off the coast of Japan, Kouichi Mura looks out at the ocean. He’s not just observing the water, but he’s watching the height & direction of the waves, the level of the tide, the speed of the current, and feels the wind and rain on his face. He does this because he’s a fisherman. Mura learned fishing and the ocean from his parents, his father was a fisherman and mother was the on board assistant. When Mura was 1 month old, he went on his first fishing trip. He grew up wanting to be a fisherman and concerned with the preservation of the fish that he catches. I wonder if other fishermen feel the same?

Mura is that special breed of fisherman; his catch isn’t found at Tsukiji Fish Market, the biggest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world. His Suzuki (Japanese Sea bass) is highly-prized by many top chefs and restaurants and commands a higher price than other Suzuki. His fish are caught in areas where the seas are rough and the currents strong, not many fishermen go to these areas because of the harsh conditions, but Mura knows this area like the back of his hand. For Mura, these harsh conditions make for a stronger and tastier Suzuki.

Mura’s handling of the fish is a branded practice and very unique. His secret, he uses an air compressor when he preps his prized catch, something he developed on his own. Mura doesn’t give his catch the added stress when they’re caught. He keeps them alive in a tank aboard his boat and covers the tank at night with a blanket. A fish with less stress taste better and is why he can command a higher price from top chefs. Common sense says to consume fresh fish right away, but the way that Mura handles and prepares his fish, its best on the 3rd day. Even when his fish are shipped to restaurants in Tokyo, he carefully packs them with just enough ice to keep them at an optimal temperature and humidity.

Mura talks to chefs and restaurant owners and explains his methods. His prized catch can be found at many Michelin 3 star restaurants in Tokyo, like French restaurant, Restaurant Quintessens. Sukiyabashi Jiro, is arguably the highest rated sushi bar in Tokyo and a Michelin 3 Star restaurant. They wanted to try this prized Suzuki, the chef hasn’t used a good Suzuki in 20 years was amazed at the sweetness of Mura’s sea bass.

He’s a protector of the sea and its creatures, but understands the conservation of the fish that he catches; he only catches what he needs to put food on his table for his family. If he catches too much fish, the quality goes down. There needs to be a delicate balance in the ocean; well, I guess in our lives too. There are fishermen who care about preservation and how fish are treated. Mura said if he was a fish, he would be lucky to be caught by a fisherman like himself.

It’s good to know that there are still people out there who do it the right way… Let’s continue to eat sushi, One Fish at a time.

UMI thanks you for your continued support.

Happy New Year, Japanese Style…

2009-12-30T10:30:00.000-08:00

In Japan, the first three days of January is observed to celebrate the New Year. Many businesses, restaurants, and stores are closed during this New Year’s celebration period. New Year’s cards are sent to family, friends, and coworkers to be delivered on January 1st.

The New Year’s celebration begins on New Year’s Eve and soba (buckwheat) noodles are served, which represents long life. Families then head out to visit a temple or shrine and pray for prosperity in the coming year.

New Year’s Day is full of joy and free of stress and anger. Everything should be clean, my grandma always told us (her grandchildren) that we needed to start the New Year clean, so we had to take a bath and clean our rooms before January 1st.

Ozoni is eaten on New Year’s Day, a special soup containing mochi (pounded sweet rice) that was made days before. Beautifully prepared, home cooked food is eaten for the first 3 days of January. There are a few items that have special symbolism:

1. Shrimp (Ebi): Long Life
2. Black Beans (Kuromame): Good Health
3. Herring Roe (Kazunoko): Fertility
4. Small Fish (Tazukuri): Good Harvest
5. Sweet Chestnuts (Kurikinton): Happiness
6. Red Snapper (Tai): Good Fortune

Tai or Red Snapper is a must for family celebrations and is served at these special occasions. UMI uses the Red Snapper to celebrate the sushi culture and being able to share this Japanese culture with mainstream America. Let’s celebrate the New Year by continuing to eat sushi, One Fish at a time.

UMI wishes you a Happy New Year and thanks you for your continued support!

Article by Jay Terauchi

2012 Olympics Commits to Sustainable Seafood

2009-12-28T11:17:00.000-08:00

Organizers of the 2012 Olympic Games in London have announced that more than 90.3 tons of seafood served during the games will be “demonstrably sustainable.” You know it’s an important issue when the Olympic movement gets involved. We need to work together on this type of level to educate and make people aware of the current seafood situation.

Wonder if sushi will be served in the Olympic Village to the athletes? With the popularity of sushi around the globe, you know that the USA Team would be all for it. It’s funny, we have pizza delivery in the US, in Paris they have a lot of sushi delivery places, they use vespa scooters to make their deliveries through the streets of Paris.

Regardless, stay tuned to UMI-One Fish at a time for more 2012 Olympic updates. Let’s continue to eat sushi, One Fish at a time.

Sushi Repeats Itself in Tokyo

2009-12-13T10:39:00.001-08:00

It's funny how history repeats itself. Back in the early days, authentic sushi was served in stands in Tokyo, they were about the size of today's hot dog carts. They had a limited number of sushi toppings and the customers would stand and eat at the counter. This style was called Edomae (Tokyo at the time was called Edo), so this was Tokyo style sushi. Once the customer was finished eating, they would be on their way. I guess we can say that sushi was one of the earliest forms of fast food.

At some Japanese restaurants, you'll see a curtain (noren) hanging over the doorway, this indicates that the restaurant is open. Sushi stands also had the norens hanging over the counter. Back then you'd know this was a good place by all of the customers wiping their hands on it. You can tell how good the stand was by how dirty the noren was, since they didn't have the Zagat or Citysearch at the time.

This standing sushi counter is located in Tsukiji, near the world's largest fish market, and very popular with younger women. Based on it's location, I'm sure the fish is really good. Can you imagine getting a quick sushi lunch at Penn Station in NYC or Terminal One at LAX?

Please continue to follow UMI and let's keep eating sushi, One Fish at a time.

Domo Arigato!

The World is Changing!

2009-12-12T10:19:00.000-08:00

The organizers of the 2012 Olympics Games in London has announced they’ll serve fish that meets United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, which includes Marine Stewardship Council certification and the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) list of fish to eat.

Even the Olympic Movement is getting involved in this fish movement.
Please continue to follow UMI and let's keep eating sushi, One Fish at a time.

Read the full article at: http://tinyurl.com/y9dl2f5

TRUST ME: Chef Kazunori Nozawa of Sushi Nozawa

2009-12-01T18:35:00.000-08:00

Some know him for the incredible fish that he serves in his Studio City, California restaurant and others know him as “the Sushi Nazi”. Nozawa-san is a sushi purist period. His menu doesn’t include sushi rolls, chicken teriyaki, spicy tuna, or even miso soup. What he does serve is simply the very best fish available. He’s a great chef, but many people don’t understand his TRUST ME motto.

Nozawa-san explains his TRUST ME philosophy: “I want to serve what American people like in the most simple manner, simple is the best. Anyone can make rolls because it’s easy. But my simple sushi is not easy.” Nozawa understands that customers have their own preferences, but he’s been making sushi for 46 years. He learned his style of sushi from his mentors and teachers and knew that this was the style he wanted to do. “When I started my restaurant, I wanted to do the style that I learned. If it doesn’t work, I don’t care because this is my style.” Nozawa-san is honoring the sushi chefs before him by passing on authentic sushi to the next generation. It would disgrace his mentors if he lost this philosophy and just made sushi for the money. Sure, he’s old school, but they don’t make chefs like this anymore. Why is Nozawa-san like this? He respects the hundreds of years of tradition and feels it’s his responsibility to keep this authentic sushi tradition alive. The marketplace is filled with rock ‘n roll sushi chefs, hundreds of crazy sushi rolls, and fusion restaurants, but there aren’t many places that you can rave about the fish quality or find true Edomae sushi (traditional style).

Early in his career, one customer told Nozawa-san that he didn’t like toro (Nozawa only serves bigeye and yellowfin tuna, he hasn’t served bluefin tuna since being in the U.S.). Nozawa-san asked, “Why don’t you like toro? Was it stringy at the other restaurant?” “Yes, it was stringy” answered the customer. “Toro” in Japanese means buttery and melts in your mouth, so the customer tried it Nozawa’s way. The customer was amazed and started trusting Nozawa-san’s recommendation from that point on.

True artists struggle during the early years and Sushi Nozawa was no exception. “In the beginning, we had no customers and when we did have customers we would argue because they had their own opinion on what they wanted” says Nozawa-san. It’s suggested that you order “omakase” at Sushi Nozawa, which means the customer is leaving it up to the chef to serve them the very best of the day. “To really experience sushi, you had to let the chef decide what was best for you. It was hard for Americans to do.” says Trevor Corson, author of “The Story of Sushi.” This isn’t new to Nozawa’s customers, as most of them would rather leave it up to him. I’ve been a Sushi Nozawa customer for many years and this is the one place that I’ve always left it up to the chef and haven’t been disappointed. It’s doubtful that the other people standing outside waiting to get in have been disappointed either.

Nozawa-san only serves the very best and if you use locally grown or caught ingredients, it’s even better. “It’s costly but you have to do it the right way. If it’s fishy, stringy, tough, or chewy, customers won’t come back. There are so many nice local fish such as barracuda, skipjack, bonito, Spanish mackerel, albacore, yellowfin tuna and the local sardines are great” says Nozawa-san. When he sees the faces of his customers enjoying this traditional style of sushi, he knows he doing it right. Since a lot of chefs don’t know traditional sushi, they can't educate Americans properly. Nozawa-san feels that Americans do enjoy authentic sushi; they just need to know what is right and wrong. Just like he’s done for the last 40+ years, he begins each day prepping the variety of fish he’s selected. When you combine his carefully prepared fish with warm sushi rice, along with his ponzu sauce, I’ll just say that it melts in your mouth. There’s a word in Hawaiian called “pono” and it means doing something in a correct & proper manner. When you prepare food in a pono fashion, it reflects in the quality of the food served. I guess it doesn’t really matter if it’s Hawaiian or Nozawa’s style; the result is still the same.

This honorable warrior is thinking about retiring soon, which will be sad for his loyal followers. On the top of his list of things to do when he retires is to get some much needed sleep. After all, he's been getting up early for years to make his daily 5 am trip to the fish markets. Unlike other chefs, he doesn't rely on the fish companies to make his selections and would rather pick out his own fish; this is why his sushi is so good. When he's caught up with his sleep, Nozawa-san is heading out to see the U.S. Don’t be surprised to see him behind the sushi bar in a rural area teaching his simple style of sushi. When he’s not on the road, Nozawa-san is partners in a sushi venture called “SugarFish”, Sushi Nozawa’s hip kid brother. With plans to open more locations, he’ll be busy handling the purchasing and quality control, which is very important to him. At least his followers can continue to get his TRUST ME menu after he retires.

“I have the best customers in the world and I appreciate them very much” Nozawa-san said as we were leaving. It wasn’t necessarily the words he used, but it was how he said it that made an impact on me. Kazunori Nozawa is one of the true Los Angeles sushi pioneers and we thank him for making us trust him.

In this day and age, maybe we need to be more open-minded and trust more…
Please continue to follow UMI and let's keep eating sushi, One Fish at a time.

Domo Arigato Nozawa-san.

Article and Photos by Jay Terauchi

One Fish at a time...

2009-11-16T10:47:00.000-08:00

In today’s society, everyone is looking for a solution against global warming, international conflicts, alternative energy sources, saving the planet, human rights violations, and endangered animals. These are just some of the many causes that occupy our daily lives. Some of us tend to tune out, as there’s so much hard selling and finger pointing. In order to understand the issues at hand, one must first gather information. But, who has the time?

UMI is a non-profit organization with its purpose to “Share the richness of the sushi culture with mainstream America.” Who would have thought 40 years ago that sushi bars would be opening up all over America? With the recent sushi explosion, we need to educate mainstream Americans by providing correct information about fish that is used for sushi, One Fish at a time. Questions that frequently come up are the sustainability of sushi. As the mainstream culture in the U.S. continues to grow, we will improve the awareness of the entire sushi supply chain. Since most of the talk about sushi is fish related, we’ll concentrate on these topics, but will have other sushi related information too.

UMI in Japanese means Ocean and our efforts are One Fish at a time. An All Star Team of professionals has been assembled: Tetsuya Nick Sakagami is the fish expert. With his worldwide connections, he can track the demand and movement of seafood on an international scale. Jeffrey Nitta has owned and run many different types of restaurants, worked with chefs all over the world, experienced the growth of sushi firsthand, and has developed many food related promotions and events. Jay Terauchi is an experienced marketer, social media specialist, sushi evangelist, and chef.

The sun is rising and this is the beginning of a new day and time. Please join us for special articles and interviews as we educate and make aware of various sushi related topics One Fish at a time…

Domo Arigato.