CAYA Sushi, located at 4741 N. Eagle Rock Blvd., had its grand opening Sept. 11. Calvin Yao, the owner of CAYA Sushi, said his family owned the now permanently closed Mia Sushi that previously occupied the space.
Yao said after his father passed away, he passed the restaurant down to him, which Yao rebranded in order to start fresh. Yao said the name CAYA is an acronym for Come As You Are.
“Aesthetically, I wanted [it] to be almost like a date night. I wanted [it] to look more high-end [and] upscale,” Yao said. “Almost like a Japanese sports bar in a way, where you can watch sports and relax, have some food here and there.”
Yao said in addition to providing quality food, he wants to create a hospitable and welcoming environment.
“I want [the customers] to have a great experience. I want them to have feel the vibe. I want them to have a good time,” Yao said. “I feel like that’s like the heart of a restaurant.”
Ronaldo Sebastian Serquen is a sushi chef at CAYA. Serquen said he has worked as a chef for the last six years, and that he enjoys the delicate nature of making sushi. Serquen said he appreciates the casual atmosphere of the restaurant.
“[CAYA] might look really elegant and everything else, but you could still come in your sweats and sandals and just have a good time [and] have some good sushi,” Serquen said. “We’re not Nobu.”
Serquen said he wants patrons to enjoy their time at CAYA.
“I don’t come in to just make sure I can go home. I come in to make experiences,” Serquen said. “Somebody could be having a terrible day. They come in, have sushi, have a drink and hopefully forget about it.”
Johnny Tran, CAYA’s consultant head chef, said he worked with Yao on building CAYA’s offerings to include a mix of Japanese, American and French cuisine.
“I brought more French American style […] [Yao brought] more Japanese,” Tran said. “I love the classic dishes, but with nuances of Asian flavors.”
Yao said the Hamachi Supreme is one of their most popular dishes. According to the menu, it is comprised of yellowtail, citrus ponzu and orange supreme.
“All the stuff that I like to do is a little bit of a unique twist on certain classics,” Yao said.
According to Tran, some of CAYA’s ingredients are sourced from Baja, Mexico, and Japan.
“I’m focused on what we can get in here in California, locally, and the fresh ingredients and fresh fish,” Yao said.
Tran said the restaurant changes sourcing periodically in order to promote sustainability.
“I want to make sure it’s either really well raised, well farmed or sourced quickly,” Tran said. “I think sourcing correctly is my biggest thing, because our seafood is getting overfished.”
Tran said a challenge during the process of opening CAYA was hiring the right people to promote a healthy environment among staff. He teaches the staff about best practices regarding the handling of food to maximize how much each ingredient can be used, according to Tran.
“I think waste is a big thing in most restaurants,” Tran said. “We try not to waste anything here, and [utilize] everything to its full potential.”
Yao said he plans to connect further with the local community in Eagle Rock.
“I want to do more events here, like Mahjong night or sushi making classes […] it could be anything,” Yao said. “I just want to be more involved with community; more involved in the people here.”
Tran said the Eagle Rock community has shown up to support CAYA since its opening. According to Tran, many customers had been previous regulars of Mia.
“We get a lot of customers from Mia, and seeing them being happy, and saying how much it improved and then coming back multiple times has been an eye opener for me,” Tran said.
Serquen said he prefers working at CAYA to bigger chains due to the restaurant’s connections and community.
“Locals that come in, they know everybody, they call me by my name,” Serquen said. “I’m like one of their friends.”
According to Yao, next steps include expanding CAYA’s menu and services in the near future, as well as adding brunch hours with a new menu. Yao said he wants to do this while keeping the food quality high.
Relationships with customers are key to CAYA’s success, according to Yao.
“Sushi or food, you can get it anywhere,” Yao said. “The personal connection with the guests and then the service that you have draws people [in].”
Contact Avett Proctor at aproctor@oxy.edu
