A Hidden Sushi Gem - Sushi Hanada

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

First Certified Fish Master in US

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

One Fish at a time...

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.