taste | dining

A NEW SPIN ON SUSHI

SUSHI

By BETTS GRIFFONE, PHOTOS BY WILLIAM VASTA

A WOMAN behind the sushi bar — making sushi — unheard of.

Angela Kim may be the first female sushi chef in Southern California, but she’s certainly ready for the challenge.

When Alan Lau, president and CEO of Toro Sushi in Ontario, suggested that Angela might be trained, his executive sushi chef, Hiroshi Mikata, took it in stride.

Mikata is old school, with more than 30 years of experience. His traditional Japanese training and experience, however, didn’t prevent him from embracing the idea of training a female sushi chef.

Originally from Seoul, Kim has a deep passion for food — especially Japanese, French and Italian. Every morning she comes to the restaurant, knives in hand, ready to prepare hundreds of pounds of fish for the day. She is learning the knife skills that will make her a great sushi chef some day.

Traditionally, women have been excluded from this very masculine art form. Many reasons are cited — not the least of which is warm hands.

Now, when she is preparing sushi, Kim gets around the hot hands problem by dipping them in ice water as she makes the tasty little rice and fish morsels.

This innovative attitude about staffing extends beyond the sushi bar. Lau and his partners set out to make their restaurant a fusion not only of tastes, but also cultures.

Fifteen months ago, armed with an accounting degree and five years of experience in restaurant ownership, Lau partnered with David Cervantes and Mikata to open this atypical Japanese fusion restaurant. Cervantes brought with him degrees from Le Cordon Bleu and the Culinary Institute of America as well as three years of experience as executive chef for Dacor — a high-end kitchen design company.

Lau met Cervantes through a mutual friend. He was so impressed with his credentials he asked him to be a partner in his new venture. Lau couldn’t imagine why Cervantes would leave his cushy job in a state-of-the-art kitchen at Dacor, but he did and that was the beginning of their culinary trip together.

Lau’s career in the food industry began because of his love for sushi and the need to do something that was both fun and interesting. His amiable nature made it easy to work with the public, and his knowledge of business and accounting gave him a leg up when it came to making it work financially.

He owned a smaller sushi restaurant in Chino, but was looking to expand and diversify when he was approached by the city of Ontario. After negotiating the deal he was looking for, he purchased the land on which Toro Sushi sits. Nestled in a new shopping center just south of the San Bernardino Freeway and across the street from an Edwards movie theater, it seems to be a good location. And as real estate agents say, “location, location, location.” The restaurant is decorated in black, red and white, with interesting lighting effects. The sushi bar seats 20, and there is regular seating for those who want to enjoy traditional dining.

Chefs Mikata and Cervantes work closely with each other to provide the many offerings on their exotic menu. Cultures collide in a fusion of signature and classic rolls, tapas, tempura, sashimi and luxurious entrees.

The menu can be viewed at www.torosushi.com. Among the many taste tempters, you’ll find things like Monkey Balls (mushrooms stuffed with cream cheese, spicy tuna and avocado cooked tempura-style) and Baked Orange (seared salmon layered with baked scallops and crab).

Everything on the menu is made from scratch, and some of the sauces, like the teriyaki and eel, take a full day to prepare. The problem is not what to eat, it’s how to choose from this extensive menu.

It wouldn’t be difficult to spend the better part of an evening making choices.

The celebration of cultures is a part of Toro Sushi. It permeates the staff as well as the menu. Their many bright faces greet you with smiles and an assurance of quality service.

So hooray for diversity, putting a woman behind the sushi counter and embracing our differences! Toro Sushi, Bar & Grill 1520 N. Mountain Ave., Bldg. D, Ontario (909) 983-8676 Creamy Wasabi Sauce 1 quart mayonnaise 16 oz. rice vinegar 1/2 cup prepared wasabi* 1/4 tsp. salt In a large mixing bowl combine all of the ingredients.

Refrigerate and serve.

Uses: Any broiled or pan-fried fish (salmon, talapia or swordfish).

Dynamite Sauce 1 quart mayonnaise 1/4 cup sriracha hot sauce* 3/4 cup mirin (Japanese cooking wine)* 1/8 cup soy sauce 1 tsp. masago (smelt eggs)* In a large mixing bowl whisk together the mayonnaise, sriracha, mirin and soy sauce. When everything has been mixed, gently incorporate the masago. Refrigerate and serve.

Uses: As a finishing sauce for baked casseroles, beef or chicken, or seafood.

Geisha’s Delight (cocktail) 2.5 oz. plum sake* 2.5 oz. Malibu banana rum 1/2 fresh lime Shake with ice and serve in a martini glass.

* Items can be purchased at large Asian markets including Marukai Market, 1420 Azusa Ave., West Covina, and other Southland locations.