Sushi Nozawa Group

Sushi Nozawa Group is the Los Angeles-based restaurant group behind SUGARFISH, Nozawa Bar and KazuNori  The group is devoted to and passionate about serving Nozawa-style sushi, or sushi, quite simply, at its very best.

In 2008, Kazunori Nozawa and Jerry A. Greenberg founded Sushi Nozawa Group. Friends for decades, their plan was to take the food Chef Nozawa perfected at his namesake restaurant, Sushi Nozawa in Studio City, and make it more accessible while remaining 100% committed to the quality of the food. Tom Nozawa, Lele Massimini, Cameron Broumand, and Clement Mok — each with expertise in their respective fields — joined Nozawa and Jerry as founding partners of Sushi Nozawa, LLC to create SUGARFISH.

The first SUGARFISH restaurant opened in Marina del Rey in 2008, followed by subsequent locations in the greater Los Angeles area. Sushi Nozawa, LLC also created the Nozawa Bar in Beverly Hills, and KazuNori, The Original Hand Roll Bar, in downtown LA.

The partners of Sushi Nozawa, LLC serve a variety of roles in managing the restaurants. Jerry serves as CEO, and Nozawa-san is President. Tom and Lele are effectively “co-chief operating officers,” with Tom running the “back of house” while Lele runs the “front of house.”  Cameron manages real estate and expansion, and Clement is responsible for the brand, design, and marketing for the restaurants. Yumiko Nozawa has also been involved with the team since the beginning, working with Jerry and Nozawa on the development of Sushi Nozawa Group.

The history of Sushi Nozawa begins when, as a young man in Japan, Nozawa became a sushi apprentice. Working grueling 15-hour days, he made deliveries, washed dishes, cleaned the kitchen, and learned how to prepare the rice. Eventually, he graduated to fish preparation, first learning how to make rolls and then preparing nigiri sushi. Although it was not required of him, Nozawa accompanied the master chef to the fish market to learn the essential task of seafood selection.

Nozawa had a burning curiosity and wanted to learn all that he could about fish, so he traveled to each province of Japan, absorbing the local methods of preparing the regional catch. After five years on the road, he returned to Tokyo to open a successful sushi restaurant with his mother and sister.