'We thought we knew sushi': Customers savor last days of Port Hueneme's Sushi Hanada

Takako Hanada couldn’t step far from the phone before it rang again at her Port Hueneme sushi restaurant Wednesday night.

The dinner service at Sushi Hanada had started about an hour prior and already the dining room was packed. Customers were either waiting for their food or noshing bites of sushi. Others were calling to reserve a table before the restaurant shut its doors Saturday.

The restaurant on Channel Islands Boulevard closed after serving Edomae-style sushi — which is traditionally made with fish from Tokyo Bay ― since 1998.

Hanada’s husband, Yuki, died last November at 70, and the duties of the restaurant have become overwhelming.

She runs the day-to-day operations, helps out in the kitchen and does just about everything else that needs to be done. Running the restaurant, which is also known for its jazz music and picture of renowned saxophonist Sonny Rollins, had been a tall order when her husband was alive.

He would start his day at 4 a.m. and work until 10 p.m. In the mornings, he would drive to downtown Los Angeles to pick up fresh fish and then spend the day working in the restaurant.

To save time, Hanada has the fish delivered, but she’s ready to retire. The 73-year-old plans to move to Torrance to be closer to her son and babysit her four grandkids.

“I’m too old for the restaurant business,” Hanada said. “I do everything.”

Yuki Hanada had been working in sushi restaurants for over a decade by the time the couple in a jazz club in Tokyo when they were in their late 20s. They soon moved to the United States.

While playing baseball after school at 16, he and his friends were approached by the wife of a local restaurant owner. She asked them if anyone wanted to help deliver food. That’s when Yuki Hanada began his training.

Kuniko Seto, a friend of the Hanadas, said Yuki Hanada was stubborn and strict when it came to cooking. He only made traditional sushi and avoided modern rolls.

She said once the restaurant closes, residents will have to travel to LA for similar sushi.

“Customers who love sushi can’t be satisfied with other restaurants,” Seto said. “If I want to eat sushi, I don’t go anywhere else. I come here.”

John Velasquez, of Port Hueneme, was one of dozens dining in on Wednesday evening. He had been visiting the restaurant for over 20 years and eats there sometimes two to three times a week.

He enjoys the crab roll and the seasonal items, like the monkfish liver that’s served in the winter. Velasquez has become close friends with the Hanadas and enjoys the atmosphere they’ve created.

“We thought we knew sushi until we came here,” Velasquez said. “We had no idea.”

Frank and Sandra Bibian said Wednesday they ate at the restaurant about once a week for the last six to seven years. They also liked the crab roll and the salmon collar. It was the “fresh seafood” and “authentic taste” that turned them into regular customers.

Takako Hanada said she had about 50 customers who visited anywhere from once a month to multiple times a week.

Although she wasn’t trained in restaurants like her husband, Takako said being a Japanese housewife prepared her to take over the business.

“(We) can cook anything,” she said. “Restaurant food is very easy for us.”

Brian J. Varela covers Oxnard, Port Hueneme and Camarillo. He can be reached at brian.varela@vcstar.com or 805-477-8014. You can also find him on Twitter @BrianVarela805.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Customers savor last days of Port Hueneme's Sushi Hanada