Saso's teaches the art of sushi

Making your own sushi is fun--and messy. At least that's what the beginners who joined Saso's make-your-own sushi lunch program are discovering.

Saso's Japanese Noodle House is teaching customers to make their own lunches this summer, and when students walk into class the first thing they want to know is why there's plastic spread across the floor, said Kathleen Saso, co-owner of the restaurant. "I say, 'Oh, you'll see,'" Saso says. These sushi-novices quickly learn the ropes, but not without some initial spills.

The first class, offered on the last weekend of July was well-attended, and students said they had a great time, Saso said. They began by mixing vinegar and adding it to the sushi rice to make it sticky. They also learn to slice cucumbers and other ingredients, and to construct and shape the fragile rolls with a bamboo mat, Saso said. Each student works with their own recipe, and the class fee covers instruction, the cost for ingredients, and a bamboo mat that each student can take home--not to mention lunch. "At the end, the students get to eat what they've made," Saso said.

The class is taught by Yasuo Saso, the restaurant's sushi chef and co-owner, who has been in the restaurant business for 30 years. Kathleen Saso said her sushi chef husband has a great deal of experience and makes sushi-making look much easier than it is. It's only when the students get to work that they realize the skill and talent that goes into it. "They say, 'You don't have to worry about losing us as customers,'" Saso said with a laugh.

Saso's has been a fixture on Central Avenue for 12 years. Business is always slower in the summer, and the Sasos hope these courses will reach some new customers, Saso said. The restaurant also offers private group lessons, she said.

Saso's is located at 218 Central Avenue. The next classes are being offered August 9 and August 23 from 11:30am-1:30pm. The cost of the class is $50. To register, please call 436-7789. Saso's is open Tuesday through Saturday for dinner beginning at 5pm.