Sasabune chef Nobi Kushuhara got a close-up this morning on My Fox News, where the subject, naturally, was sushi. According to press reports, Northern California is already seeing a shortage of certain kinds of fish following Japan’s catastrophic earthquake and tsunami, and SoCal is waiting to see if the price hikes strike here next. That’s where Kushuhara comes in.
Sea creatures have also been affected by the natural disasters, so Kushuhara, a former worker at Tokyo’s Tsukiji fish market, sees a possible reason to be careful about his seafood selection, especially in the wake of ongoing concerns about radiation. Kushuhara gets his Japanese fish from L.A. wholesalers and says his fish is not from the Northern waters where the tsunami took place. The president of one wholesale firm, King Seafood, says companies are being cautious with the products they get from Japan and that price increases and shortages could result from the extra attention.
The Sasabune chef admits a little fear that radiation could spoil certain fish species from Japanese waters, cautioning that “Fish is very sensitive…when you eat something with radiation the people get sick.” For now, while shortages and price increases could be on the horizon, the chef feels confident that the FDA inspections will keep radiation away from our omakase. In the meantime, as we all wait with baited breath to see how the tense situation in Japan develops, Sasabune has a donation box set up at their Brentwood restaurant.
Japan Quake Affecting US Sushi Prices? [My Fox News]
