Hidekazu Tojo

(born February 8, 1950, in Kagoshima, Japan) is a Japanese-born chef based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He is often credited with inventing the California roll and the B.C. roll.

Career

Tojo first learned to cook at home, due in part to the fact his mother was vegetarian and Tojo and his siblings wanted meat.

In 1968, Tojo moved to Osaka to become a chef where he apprenticed at Ohnoya, a ryōtei restaurant. In 1971, he became a chef at an Osaka sushi restaurant. Shortly afterwards, in August 1971, Tojo moved to Vancouver, a city with only four Japanese restaurants at the time. Tojo first found work at Maneki, at the invitation of its owner, who was Tojo's sponsor to Canada. Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, Glutton for Punishment, 1,000 Places to See Before You Die, Simply Ming, and The Today Show. In 2016, the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries appointed Tojo as a goodwill ambassador of Japanese cuisine, one of only 13 chefs to share this honour outside Japan.

Awards and honours Vancouver Magazine - Best Japanese Award (each year since 1988) Vancouver Magazine - Lifetime Achievement Award 2009 British Columbia Restaurants Hall of Fame – 2006 Zagat - Extraordinary Award 2007 and 2008 DiRoNA - Achievement of Distinction in Dining 2012 The Wall Street Journal - One of the Top 10 Sushi Chefs in the World