Supermarket Sushi

We thought we'd give California rolls a try.

Kawasaki Japanese Seafood Restaurant in Baltimore provides a number of stores with chefs or the product, including Eddie's, Graul's and Fresh Fields. "They've been selected Baltimore's best," says Dana Spatafore, general manager of Graul's in Ruxton and Mays Chapel, referring to the "top-rate sushi" designation by the most recent Zagat Survey. "We tried it. We were really happy with it."

Nancy Cohen, owner of Eddie's, also turned to Kawasaki when the store wanted to offer sushi on a regular basis. "They're very professional," she says. "I like the way they carefully handle the food."

Cohen sees sushi as an extension of the growing demand for "grab-and-go" foods at supermarkets. "Prepared foods are such a big part of everyday life," she says.

Lisa McCue, a spokeswoman for the Washington-based Grocery Manufacturers Association, vouches for the trend. "We're seeing more ready-made meals," she says. "Consumers want to walk in and pick up dinner and not do a lot of work."

And sushi is a quick pick-up item. "It's very convenient," says Carole Throssell, director of media relations for the national Food Marketing Institute. "Consumers want healthy, tasty, ethnic foods."