Eatery seeks championship sushi

Andrew Edwards

Lovers of sushi and other fine Japanese cuisine can now dine in a

“Championship Sumo” setting.

Ozumo, a new restaurant at Fashion Island geared to serving

authentic food, was named with Japanese tradition in mind.

“We picked up the name to pay homage to Japan’s traditional

sport,” said Jeremy Umland, the restaurant’s managing partner.

“The concept at Ozumo is we’re contemporary authentic Japanese

cuisine,” Umland said. “Fusion is a ‘no’ word.”

Umland fell in love with Japan when he traveled to the country in

1979 as an exchange student, and he said he was the first American to

play college baseball there. After college, Umland said he played pro

ball in Japan for three years before coming back to the states to

earn his business degree. He returned to Japan as an investment

banker.

In 1998, Umland moved to San Francisco, where he opened his first

Ozumo Restaurant near the Embarcadero. He opened Ozumo in Newport

Beach on Dec. 15, after being courted by the Irvine Co., he said.

Katsuo “Naga” Nagasawa, creator of Cafe del Rey in Marina del Rey,

is slated to lead the kitchen as executive chef, general manager

Gregory Hamman said. The restaurant recruited Abe Takayuki as head

sushi chef, a man Hamman described as an old hand at his trade.

“I think it’s been over 35 years that this man’s been cutting

fish,” Hamman said.

The restaurant’s menu features sushi and grilled robata dishes.

Ozumo’s sake list has more than 50 varieties, Umland said. Contrary

to popular opinion in America, Umland said the best sake is served

cold in Japan, and one of his favorite tasks setting up Ozumo’s menu

has been matching menu items with sake and wine selections.

“Another passion of mine is introducing premium chilled sake to

the States,” Umland said.

The restaurant’s chefs and employees seek to emulate Japanese

culinary techniques and business practices, Hamman said. Employees

greet customers with Japanese phrases, and the robata chefs shout

welcomes to diners as they sit down.

“When you come in, you here these chefs all shout at you,

‘Itashimshite!” Hamman said.

As in Japan, Ozumo employees are taught to show respect to

customers by handing them their checks with both hands, and managers

give employees their paychecks in a similar manner, extolling their

thanks with a Japanese phrase that means “Thank you for your

fatigue,” Hamman said.

Robata chef Junzo Matsuura said his mission is to make a

connection with the customers as he prepares dishes.

“It’s not all the cooking, it’s the cooking and the food,” he

said. “The most important thing is having a conversation with the

customer. That’s why I wake up every day.”