Nami Nori made a splash on the NYC restaurant scene this past year, drawing long lines and fulsome food critics with its cheeky, taco-like hand rolls wrapped in crisp nori shells. With creative ingredients, such as a red miso-flavored eggplant roll and a salmon-and-tomato roll, Nami Nori takes sushi to a different, playful place.

But one traditional foundation never changes: the rice. Taka Sakaeda, executive chef and co-owner of Nami Nori, is a longtime sushi master and a Masa alum,