Awesome California Roll

The California roll is the first sushi created for Westerners. I remember having it in Roppongi, a district in Tokyo known for its nightlife, back in the 1980s. Sushi chefs in Los Angeles decided to substitute avocado for toro—a brilliant choice. Some sushi connoisseurs say the California roll is so basic they don’t even eat it anymore. Their attitude is all wrong: I thought the same until then-famous Chef Toshi at Hama Sushi in Venice, California, made one for me and challenged me to see i