Banzai Sushi has got it down cold

In an old dairy factory near Green Lake, workers in aprons and hairnets roll sushi into neat logs filled with rice, smoked salmon, asparagus and cream cheese.

They're Seattle Rolls, one of four flavors by Banzai Sushi headed for freezer shelves at Whole Foods and other grocery stores across the country.

That's right: freezer shelves. Unlike most sushi that must be eaten within a few days of packaging, Banzai's frozen sushi is good for a year.

The meat in Banzai's sushi is cooked, and Henderson Mar, who owns Banzai with his wife, Janis, spent years working on a formula for freezing sushi without ruining its flavor or texture. He credits his master's degree in cell biology and biochemistry with bringing it all together.

The Mars started their business in 1989 as a Seattle catering company, which quickly morphed into a food-court restaurant in downtown Seattle. By 1991, they were selling sushi wholesale, and Banzai now produces an average of 2,000 to 3,000 pounds of sushi six days a week.

The frozen, sliced rolls retail for $8.99 to $11.99 for a 12-ounce package. They thaw in 45 minutes at room temperature or 45 seconds in a microwave.

Banzai, which started selling frozen sushi in 1997, also ships it to food-service customers like restaurants and caterers. Its products are available in 34 states, Canada and 13 European countries. Wal-Mart is considering selling Banzai sushi at Supercenters in the Caribbean, and Iron Chef is negotiating with Banzai for a private-label product, Mar said.

The popularity of Banzai's frozen sushi has taken off in the past three years, with sales rising 1,000 percent. Three years ago, frozen sushi represented about 5 percent of total sales; now it is more than 70 percent, Mar said. He would not disclose the company's sales figures.

Banzai and its 25 employees are moving to a new factory south of downtown Seattle this month, because the old building, at 427 N.E. 72nd St., is being torn down to make way for new housing and retail shops.

The move works well for Banzai, which will expand from 11,000 to 15,000 square feet.

Mar is not sure how a recent controversy over another sushi company, Japan-based Kyokuyo, might affect Banzai's business.

Some groups, including the Humane Society, have encouraged consumers to pressure Kyokuyo's U.S. distributor, True World Foods, to stop selling its products because they say Kyokuyo sells whale and dolphin meat in other countries.

Kyokuyo America, which is based in Seattle, issued a release on its Web site saying it will no longer sell whale meat after current inventories run out.

"We're encouraged, but there's something fishy about that statement, and we look forward to further clarification from company executives," said Patrick Ramage, global whale-program manager for the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

Banzai buys only wild fish meat that is not in danger of being overfished, Mar said, and does not use True World Foods as a distributor.

— Melissa Allison

A Wal-Mart Supercenter opened in Bonney Lake on April 18. Formerly a regular Wal-Mart store, it was under construction when flooding devastated nearby Mount Rainier National Park last fall. Now the Arkansas company will give the park a $10,000 grant to assist in rebuilding, and its employees will volunteer for clean-up efforts at the park. Wal-Mart says more than 1,200 people have applied for 250 new positions at the expanded store, which will employ 450 people altogether. — MA

Starbucks' new CD featuring music by its own employees debuted at number 190 on Billboard's Top 200 Comprehensive Albums Chart. "Off the Clock Vol. 1: New Music from Up & Coming Starbucks Artists" became available April 3 and retails for $12.95. — MA

Jones Soda CEO Peter van Stolk earned a salary of $173,150 in 2006, up from $157,619 a year earlier. With options and other compensation, van Stolk's total 2006 pay came to $323,447, according to a filing this week with the Securities and Exchange Commission. — MA

T.J. Maxx opens a store in Factoria Mall on April 22. It will be the ninth Seattle-area store for Framingham, Mass., company-based T.J. Maxx, an off-price retailer with more than 800 stores in 48 states. — MA

Kagome , a Japanese juice company with $1.4 billion in sales, is sponsoring a chopstick competition at this weekend's Cherry Blossom & Japanese Cultural Festival at Seattle Center. The people who can use chopsticks to move the most diced fruits and vegetables fastest will receive free cases of juice and entry in a grand-prize drawing for a trip to Japan. — MA

The first edition of Seattle Picks, a weekly e-mail update about what's hip at local boutiques, spas and restaurants, begins today through www.seattlepicks.com. It's the Seattle version of Portland Picks, which is a subsidiary of the marketing firm Westover Media, whose clients include Elle, Vanity Fair and The New Yorker. — MA

Retail Report appears Fridays. Melissa Allison covers the food and beverage industry. She can be reached at 206-464-3312 or mallison@seattletimes.com. Monica Soto Ouchi covers goods, services and online retail. She can be reached at 206-515-5632 or msoto@seattletimes.com.