OUR STORY
Born and raised in Nagasaki, Japan, Tokie did not arrive in America until 1955 where her first job was a waitress for a Japanese restaurant in Los Angeles. She later moved to San Mateo, California where she worked as a part-time caterer. A newly found passion for cooking was ignited and she found herself pursuing cooking as a career. Tokie started her own catering business and provided services for many private parties and country clubs. From these many parties, she found herself a loyal clientele that stretched throughout the Burlingame and Hillsborough areas.
In 1981, her long awaited dream became a reality when she was able to open Tokie’s Restaurant in Foster City, California. Joining her restaurant was her son, Victor, who learned sushi from the many chefs that were hired by the restaurant.
In 1982, they opened a sushi bar that provided a large variety of traditional sushi, as well as, the highly popular California Roll. Being a newly developed roll, the California Roll influenced Victor into creating many original sushi that are on Tokie’s menu today
Tokie’s restaurant has graced the San Francisco Examiner pages for culinary excellence and Victor’s skill as a renowned sushi chef has been on such programs as Yan Can Cooking show in 1997 and Yan Can’s cooking school itself.
After 41 years, Tokie’s Restaurant continues to be a popular Japanese restaurant in the Bay Area. The employees of Tokie’s, many of whom have been there for over 25 years, along with their loyal customers, make this restaurant an easy place for a stranger to become a regular visitor. Along with their sushi, Tokie’s Restaurant provides a large variety of high-quality Japanese dishes which reflect the passion and dedication of Tokie Onizuka.