Raw Talent

From the kitchen of a busy Japanese restaurant in Atlanta, George Lee, hurried and sweating, would catch glimpses of the sushi chef sipping beer and yukking it up with customers.

“I said to myself, ‘That’s what I want to do,’ ” Lee said.

So it was goodbye, Atlanta; hello, Japan.

The year was 1980 and Lee was invited by a friend who owned a restaurant in Okinawa to come learn the ways of sushi and Japanese cuisine.

Lee spent the next three years under his friend’s tutelage, discovering a passion for preparing food face to face with patrons.

“When you are stuck in a kitchen, you don’t feel the appreciation,” Lee said. “But when you create something and see the reaction on people’s faces, it’s a great feeling.”

Upon returning to his hometown of Ventura, Lee landed a job at Something’s Fishy in Santa Barbara. But the commute did not suit him, and he soon longed to open his own sushi bar.

Lee found a tiny space near the beach on Seaward Avenue and set up shop in 1983. Juro’ Cho, the name of his friend’s restaurant in Okinawa, became Ventura’s third sushi bar. “It was a struggle at first,” Lee said. “Everybody back then said sushi was a fad thing and that it was going to die.”

But Lee’s business eventually thrived. So much that one- and two-hour waits to be seated were driving business away.

After 16 years, Lee decided the time had arrived for his intimate Juro’ Cho Sushi to grow and evolve.

That decision was celebrated two weeks ago when customers showed up in force for the opening of the new Juro’ Cho Sushi, down the street at the old Seaside Johnny’s site (which also was home to Eric Ericsson’s before it moved to the Ventura Pier).

The former space seated a maximum of 26. That many can now sit at a sushi bar with views of the ocean. When the dining space fills, customers spill into the bar area to eat. Another 15 patrons can be seated on an outdoor wooden deck, which will soon offer an awning and heaters.

A popular attraction at the restaurant is a cubbyhole-style booth called the “Club House,” which seats up to 10 for more intimate gatherings.

There is also room now to hang several of longtime sushi chef Jack Bucher’s seascape and sea life paintings, which complement the Japanese-inspired decor.

Even Juro’ Cho’s main attraction, the food, has evolved. To handle the extra volume, Lee has brought in two young chefs--Joel Huff and Ren Weigang--to run the kitchen. Both cooks have experience in upscale restaurants.

Lee has provided his two chefs wide latitude to improve on his own creations, which have become staples at Juro’ Cho Sushi over the years. Huff and Weigang are responsible for preparing a new menu of specials each night that includes appetizers, sushi and desserts. “They are bringing a lot more flare to the food now,” Lee said.

Take, for instance, Lee’s own original fish taco: a succulent concoction of halibut in spring roll wrappers and deep fried. The roll is now served elegantly dressed with julienned vegetables, sprouts and other accouterments, drizzled with cilantro and tartar sauces.

“We’re learning from George,” Weigang said. “We are trying a lot of different things and having fun with it.”

DETAILS

The new Juro’ Cho Sushi is on Seaward Avenue in Ventura. Lunch: 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday. Dinner: 5-10 p.m. Monday-Saturday. The bar is open until midnight. Closed Sundays. Reservations are taken only for the 10-seat “Club House” dining space. Call 652-0382.

*

Grilled-meat guru Jim Lyons will orate on the intricacies of barbecuing at a Learning Tree University class Thursday in Thousand Oaks.

The self-proclaimed “Capt. Barbecue” will discuss pit-smoked versus open-pit cooking methods, grilling with various wood types, health factors, safety rules and preparation tips.

“I teach it as an art,” said Lyons, who cooks and offers catering services at Arvin’s Grill & Barbecue in Ventura. “There is no one right way to barbecue. Your tongue and your nose are your guide.”

Lyons will also discuss cooking with a gas-fired grill, which offers oven-like conveniences that allow for preparing a wide range of dishes other than meats.

So, captain, what’s the biggest mistake people make when barbecuing?

“Generally people cook chicken and it looks perfectly done, but it’s not. It has blood in it,” Lyons said.

“I put an emphasis on indirect heating and direct heating. You want to sear the meat and get it looking real pretty and then you take it off the fire and put it where there is no fire and close the hood. You don’t have to worry about it burning, it just looks pretty from then on.”

The evening class will be followed by an optional three-hour lab March 27.

“Actually, it’s just a big party,” Lyons said. “I show the class how to handle the pit, make the sauces, the beans, the marinades. We go through it all and share a great meal.”

Lab-goers are also awarded an MBQ certificate--as in master’s of barbecue.

Said Lyons, “A bachelor’s degree just won’t get it anymore.”

DETAILS

“Southern California’s Best Barbecue,” presented by Jim Lyons, will be held from 7 to 8:50 p.m. Thursday at Learning Tree University, 72 Moody Court, Thousand Oaks. Cost: $49, plus $6 registration fee. An optional lab-party, $15, will be held March 27 at a location yet to be determined. For more information or to register, call 497-2292.

*

The wares of Ferrari-Carano Vineyards will be highlighted at a wine dinner Tuesday at Westlake Village Inn.

Chef Ray Swanson will prepare the following menu:

The meal begins with assorted hors d’oeuvres served with the 1997 Ferrari-Carano Fume Blanc. Other courses will include cold-water New Zealand grilled half lobster tail with saffron-whipped potato and the 1997 fume blanc; arugula greens tossed with a Champagne raspberry vinaigrette, served with the 1996 Ferrari-Carano chardonnay; wild mushrooms accompanied by the 1996 Sonoma County Siena Ferrari-Carano (a blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon); braised lamb shank osso bucco with fresh thyme, served with the 1994 Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon. The final course will be Swiss chocolate and fresh berries along with “a special surprise from Ferrari-Carano.”

The event will begin at 6 p.m. Cost: $75 per person, plus tax. The Living Room at Provence, Westlake Village Inn, is at 32001 Agoura Road, Westlake Village. For reservations, call (818) 889-0230.

*

Rodney Bosch writes about the restaurant scene in Ventura County and outlying points. He can be reached at 653-7572, fax 653-7576 or e-mail at: rodney.bosch@latimes.com.