New York Daily News reported Tuesday on Pink Nori, a create-your-own sushi joint opening in Astoria next week. Owner Jesse Tang used a $10,000 prize won last year in the Long Island Young Entrepreneur Challenge to bring this concept to light. Diners will be able to create custom sushi rolls with traditional and non traditional (guacamole, jalapeno and potato chips) ingredients.

Custom sushi also got a mainstream push last February in an episode of ABC’s Shark Tank. Brothers Yuen and Peter accepted $1 million to expand their concept How Do You Roll?, which currently operates 9 outlets in the south and southwestern US. 

While sushi shops in the area do offer custom rolls, we aren’t familiar with any specifically crafting a concept around these overarching create-your-own offerings. In fact the most common trend we’re seeing in sushi these days is the opening of all you can eat sushi restaurants, with Sushi Village (Westwood, Little Falls), Teaneck Sushi Buffet and the just opened POC American Fusion Buffet & Sushi (Hackensack; though this is a buffet, while the others feature made to order sushi) coming to to mind. Of course this trend already has had a few casualties like Bamboo (Northvale).

If Pink Nori takes off, we’re sure many copycats will popup around the city. Does a custom sushi shop sound good to you? Let us know in the comments.