Yoko Isassi

Yoko grew up in Japan dining on-and learning from her grandmother’s cooking.  After graduating from college, she transplanted herself to New York City to study and work as an architect, but eventually discovered that her true calling is sharing her passion for Japanese food culture.  She has taught Japanese cooking in Los Angeles for the past 10 years, and regularly conducts culinary tours in Japan.

Yoko Isassi's Favorite Comfort Food: Trout/Salmon & Ginger Sushi

This is a regional sushi we make in late spring by using trout from the river. I grew up in the mountainous area of Gifu, where we wrap the sushi in a big beautiful Japanese magnolia leaf and call it “Hoba sushi”, which literally means magnolia leaf sushi. There are many variations of this sushi from community to community. I’m sharing my grandmother’s recipe with a little tweak.