Tour the
California Sushi Academy
The sign and front facade of the Hama Hermosa restaurant building in Hermosa Beach, CA, which contained both the restaurant and the California Sushi Academy in 2005, when Trevor Corson observed a semester at the school for The Story of Sushi.
In a previous incarnation, the same building was once home to California Beach, another sushi restaurant that was a legendary party scene.
The sushi bar in the front dining room at the Hama Hermosa restaurant. Preparing for a night of business behind the bar are the Danish chef in training, Fie Kruse, and one of the Japanese chefs, Taka.
The front dining room at the Hama Hermosa restaurant.
The sushi bar in the back room at the Hama Hermosa restaurant. At work behind the bar, from right to left, are the former Japanese pop star Takumi Nishio, the CEO of the academy Toshi Sugiura, and the Danish chef in training Fie Kruse. At far left is one of the academy students, Elena Puig from Spain, learning the ropes by watching Fie work.
The academy classroom, converted into dining space for a busy weekend night at the restaurant.
The back room, which contained both the back sushi bar (left) and the sushi academy classroom (right).
The students at work in the academy classroom.
The students at work in the restaurant kitchen.
Prep work in the restaurant kitchen. Head chef Tetsuya Tsumoto pretends to commit hara-kiri for the camera, while Danish chef in training Fie Kruse looks on. (Photo courtesy of Fie Kruse.)
Charts of types of fish and shellfish hang on the walls of the academy classroom.
A small Shinto shrine on a shelf was intended to bring the restaurant and academy good fortune.
Most of the action described in The Story of Sushi takes place in the classroom, kitchen, and sushi bar at the California Sushi Academy and the attached Hama Hermosa restaurant in Hermosa Beach, a seaside town in the suburbs of Los Angeles. Here are some photographs of the places described in the book. All photos are copyright © by Trevor Corson unless otherwise noted.
Note: The California Sushi Academy has occupied other locations in suburban L.A. as well; the original location was in Venice Beach, and the academy subsequently moved to a new location near Mar Vista. Trevor Corson has no affiliation with the California Sushi Academy.
All text, photos, videos, and other content on this website that was originally created by Trevor Corson is copyrighted material, © Trevor Corson.
“The Lobster Sex Guy” and “Sushi Concierge” are TradeMarks of Trevor Corson.
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