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Meet Masa Nishiyama, the owner and chef of Zen Toro: Japanese Bistro & Sushi Bar in Davis. This graduate of the celebrated Tsugi Culinary Institute in Japan has been cooking for 39 years, accumulating acclaims such as, the title of "Chef Extraordinaire" and the "Bronze Star of Excellence" from The Chaine des Rottiseur. Originally in downtown Sacramento, Zen Toro moved to Davis in 2006 and, according to many reviews, has become one of the best sushi restaurants in town.
As Masa concluded a busy lunch rush, he took a few moments to talk about his decision to open his own restaurant. Having worked as executive chef with the Hyatt Regency Corporation in cities from Waikiki to Chicago, Masa wanted to finally create his own business and focus on Japanese cuisine. He opened Zen Toro in Sacramento in 2001 because he felt the area needed a better representation of Japanese cuisine. "I chose Sacramento because there really wasn't a Japanese restaurant in the city before," said Masa as he began cleaning up the expansive sushi bar at Zen Toro.
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