The COVID-19 pandemic has inspired many locals to get inventive, from the creative ways people safely distributed treats on Halloween to the launch of entirely new business. Now Vancouver can soon officially count among its 2020-born creations a new sushi pizza business called Kozu, run by cousins who love creating fusion food.
"Kozu started in our family living room during the 2020 pandemic. With school closures and financial difficulties, some of us were new graduates struggling to figure out our calling - we believed KOZU was the answer. This passion project brought the family together during unprecedented times and we learned how to build a unique Asian fusion cloud kitchen collectively," explains the food venture on their website.
Kozu Sushi Pizza is what's called a "cloud" or "ghost" kitchen operation, meaning they do not have their own brick-and-mortar dine-in location, but rather use a commissary space or shared kitchen to prepare their food for pick-up and delivery. In this case, Kozu has set up at Coho Commissary in East Vancouver (1370 E Georgia St), and plans to officially launch soon.
The launch menu for Kozu features eight kinds of sushi pizza, priced at $11.99-13.99 apiece. Options include the Charmander, which is made with Japanese mayo spread layered with spun cucumber, topped with a spicy salmon mix made of chopped tuna sashimi, masago and spicy sashimi sauce and garnished with jalapeno slices and black sesame seeds. Then there's The Ocean: Cream cheese spread layered with imitation crab meat & fresh smoked salmon, topped with avocado slices, mayo drizzle, and spicy mayo drizzle, garnished with spun kappa (cucumber) and sesame seeds.
Side dish options are simple: miso soup and a house green salad.
Kozu has been refining their sushi pizzas through the summer, and according to its Instagram and Facebook postings is almost ready to open up for orders.
"I've always loved creating unique food experiences - and now I get to do it while learning how to build a business with my cousins. It's going to be an interesting experience and I'm excited for the journey ahead," said Founder Andrew Nguyen.
