Tokie’s, Foster City’s first Japanese restaurant, may be closing after 35 years of business. According to a notification posted on one of Tokie’s windows, the San Mateo-Foster City School District (SMFCSD) unanimously agreed on Nov. 3, 2016 to purchase a fourth elementary school in Foster City in Charter Square, where Tokie’s is currently located. This decision was made to address an anticipated increased enrollment at the district’s existing elementary schools in Foster City. The construction of a fourth elementary school may require excessive building ground, which, in turn, may cause the closure of numerous businesses, including Tokie’s. Tokie’s was opened in 1981 by Tokie Onizuka, a self-taught chef from Nagasaki, Japan. She began her cooking career as a part-time caterer and prepared mostly teriyaki dishes. She later started her own successful catering business and eventually opened Tokie’s Restaurant in Foster City. “My mother, she is pretty much self-taught,” said Victor Onizuka, Tokie Onizuka’s son. “She is one of those people who, if you ever saw her bedroom, you would see that she lived for cooking; she studied passionately about cooking. When we were just small, she worked in private homes and worked with caterers and that’s how she got fascinated by cooking.”Victor himself is a well-known sushi chef. He joined his mother at Tokie’s and was taught how to make sushi by the various chefs at Tokie’s. The first special that he made at the restaurant was called “Vic’s Special,” a roll composed of smoked salmon, shrimp, avocado and cucumber coupled with fish sticks. Some employees at Tokie’s have been working at the restaurant for over 15 years, the Japanese dishes prepared at Tokie’s reflecting Ms. Onizuka’s “passion and dedication.” Despite the news about the possible closure of Tokie’s, the community and local clientele have been very supportive of the restaurant. “The City and Chamber of Commerce, they’ve all been very nice and helpful in the process of what’s been going on. We have positive support,” stated Victor Onizuka.Asked if Tokie’s will permanently close or not: “Not in the near future,” Mr. Onizuka said, although Tokie’s may eventually be forced to close. If Tokie’s at Charter Square does close in Foster City, it seems that there will be another Tokie’s restaurant opening in the near future at another location. “We’ve been looking for places for the past two years and places as close as possible.”Craving Japanese Food? Visit Tokie’s and show your support and have a great meal!For further information regarding the possible closure of Tokie’s, contact the Foster City Council and/or attend the council’s meetings:Foster City Council’s contact information:- Mayor Herb Perez: hperez@fostercity.org
- Vice Mayor Charlie Bronitsky: cbronitsky@fostercity.org
- Councilmember Sam Hindi: shindi@fostercity.org
- Councilmember Catherine Mahanpour: cmahanpour@fostercity.org
- Councilmember Gary Pollard: gpollard@fostercity.org
- council@fostercity.org
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