Philosophy of Education
The educational philosophy of the California Sushi Academy crosses borders, race and gender to bring greater Japanese cultural understanding and appreciation through the culinary experience. In the past it has been solely the right of Japanese male’s to become sushi chefs. CSA has changed this, passing on its wealth of culinary knowledge to people of diverse backgrounds so that they may in turn share the beauty of Japanese cuisine and culture with others.

Comprehensive Curriculum
The California Sushi Academy opened its doors in 1998 as the first vocational school specializing in the training and certification of sushi chefs. At the Academy, veteran sushi chefs teach small groups of students the intricate art of Japanese cuisine. Students of the Academy recieve highly forcused training in such areas as knife skill development, traditional Japanese cooking techniques, modern culinary influences, fish identification and preparation, basic and advanced sushi and sashimi preparation, and presentation. CSA’s comprehensive curriculum is designed to ready graduates for successful careers as sushi chefs and restaurant entrepreneurs.

An Executive Sushi Chef and highly respected Los Angeles entrepreneur for over 30 years, Toshi Sugiura founded the California Sushi Academy in 1998, the first sushi school outside of Japan, out of a desire to share the beautiful traditions of Japanese cuisine with the world and provide this growing industry with professionally trained sushi chefs.

Toshi has been acclaimed as one of the key players in introducing sushi culture to the everyday Los Angeles dining scene since the 1970s when he began to serve the appetite of Angelinos at his legendary Hama in Venice.

A passionate gourmet and the first of the only four Certified Sake Masters Emeritus in the United States, Toshi shares his extensive knowledge with students as an instructor of the Academy. Also serving as a consultant to many restaurants, he is able to share the realities of sushi bar ownership with CSA’s prospective restaurateurs.

Toshi joined the judge panel of the first SushiMasters contest hosted by California Rice Commission in September 2005 as well as the USA Rice Federation’s California-Style Sushi Master Contest held in Tokyo, Japan in July 2006.