Whenever Kenzo Tsujimoto needs a slice of home, he makes himself a whole pie.

Just not the kind filled with cherries or peaches.

His is a savory pie - a pizza, if you will - deeply rooted in Japanese culture.

It's called okonomiyaki, and it's high enough on Japan's list of comfort foods that Tsujimoto, owner of Kenzo Estate in Napa and the CEO of gaming giant Capcom, makes it every time he travels to the Bay Area for business.

"I've been eating this since I was a kid," Tsujimoto says through a translator as he scoops his okonomiyaki batter onto a griddle. "It's just like pizza here. Every family makes it their own way, and people eat it all the time."

A hearty and versatile food, the essence of okonomiyaki is found in its name. "Okonomi" means "as you like." "Yaki" refers to being grilled, as in teppanyaki or yakitori.

In other words, no strict guidelines exist. You add whatever you fancy. The few Bay Area restaurants that do serve okonomiyaki dress it up with everything from corn and kabocha to kimchi.

Think of okonomiyaki as a savory pancake loaded with umami. It's made from a flour and dashi batter with cabbage as its main filling, and it's cooked very much like a flapjack, though its texture is sticky rather than fluffy. It's topped with Japanese mayonnaise and okonomiyaki sauce - a sweeter version of Worcestershire sauce - and a sprinkling of shaved bonito flakes and dried seaweed flakes.

Simultaneously creamy and salty and sweet and savory, it taps the taste buds in all the right ways. And it has a unique presentation. Watch carefully, and you'll see the weightless bonito flakes doing the wave in response to heat rising from the pancake.

Two main styles in Japan

In Japan, there are two main styles of okonomiyaki, and which version the locals prefer depends on where they grew up, much like whether someone from the Bay Area is a 49ers or Raiders fan.

Osaka-style okonomiyaki is the most common, with all ingredients - cabbage, scallions, pickled ginger and the like - mixed into a batter with grated mountain yam, then cooked into a thick pancake.

Hiroshima-style is much more complex. You start with a thin crepe-like layer of batter, pile on cabbage, and perhaps bean sprouts and layer of sliced pork belly. In a separate area of the griddle or pan, you heat yakisoba noodles with a bit of water. Once the pancake is flipped and cooked through, it gets stacked on top of the noodles.

But that's not all. The pancake/noodle stack then gets stacked on top of a fried egg. And if that's not enough umami, you still add on all the traditional okonomiyaki toppings - mayonnaise, okonomiyaki sauce and the bonito and seaweed flakes.

The result is a triple decker of carb on carb that's as savory in taste as it is in sight. And its flavors are catching on.

While okonomiyaki's popularity first soared after World War II, other regional styles have developed over the years, most notably Tokyo's monjayaki - a softer and looser version of okonomiyaki where the batter is essentially scraped directly off the griddle with mini spatulas that double as eating utensils.

California styles

In the Bay Area, a hybrid "modernyaki" is offered at places like Majikku Ramen in Daly City, which has an excellent version with yakisoba, corn and kabocha; and at Mifune Don in San Francisco's Japantown.

Traditional versions can be found at Halu and Genki Ramen in San Francisco, and even Shimo Modern Steak in Healdsburg. Meanwhile, Izakaya Restaurant in San Jose offers a doughy mochi okonomiyaki, and Namu in San Francisco does a deep-dish Korean version with kimchi.

All are brought to the table as finished dishes here, whereas many restaurants in Japan have tabletops with a built-in iron griddle called a teppan where you can cook your own.

But true to its roots, okonomiyaki can be made at home, with a non-stick frying pan or griddle. Premade okonomiyaki flour mixes make things even easier - you simply add water and egg to make the batter. The Japanese swear by the Otafuku brand, which, as a bonus, comes with English instructions.

All of the ingredients can be found at Japanese grocery stores like Nijiya in Japantown, where many of Tsujimoto's business trips to the Bay Area begin.

Tsujimoto was born in Nara, just west of Osaka, and although his parents died while he was young, he taught himself how to make Osaka's thicker style of okonomiyaki.

His family's version includes sliced pork belly - "make sure to choose the fattier part of the pork for flavor," he says - and pickled ginger, a favorite addition of his wife.

For Tsujimoto, like many home cooks, preparing food is a respite from the daily work grind. On any given trip, he'll make okonomiyaki for himself and his wife, or perhaps a big pot of curry for his staff.

"This is my hobby," Tsujimoto says, flipping his okonomiyaki to reveal a golden brown side. "And for the people of Osaka, this is something we are all familiar with."

-- See recipes on G7

Shimo's Osaka-Style Okonomiyaki Makes about 4 pancakes; serves 4 This recipe is an adaptation of the okonomiyaki served at Shimo Modern Steak in Healdsburg. Shimo's version does not include pork, which is listed as optional. Other variations include chopped seafood and corn. If making dashi from scratch, make sure the liquid has cooled before mixing with the rest of the batter. All the ingredients can be found at Japanese grocery stores like Nijiya in San Francisco. Okonomiyaki is best served warm. For the dashi: (optional)

1 4-inch piece kombu

1 cup katsuobushi, or dried shaved bonito flakes

For the okonomiyaki

1 cup dashi or water

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 egg

1 ounce grated nagaimo, or mountain yam

1 pinch kosher salt

4 cups shredded cabbage

4 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions

4 tablespoons pickled ginger

-- Oil for pan-frying, unless using a griddle

-- Thinly sliced pork belly, optional

To assemble

-- Okonomiyaki or katsu sauce, to taste

-- Japanese mayonnaise, to taste

-- Katsuobushi (dried shaved bonito flakes), to taste

-- Aonori (dried seaweed flakes), to taste For the dashi: To make the dashi, wipe the kombu with a damp towel and place in pot with 4 cups of cold water. Bring the water to a simmer and remove from heat. Add the katsuobushi to the pot and cover. Let steep for about 15 minutes before straining, discarding the solids, and let cool. You will have extra dashi stock, which can be refrigerated, tightly sealed in a jar, for a few days. For the okonomiyaki: To make the batter, combine the dashi or water, flour, egg, grated yam and salt in a large mixing bowl; whisk until smooth. In batches, add the cabbage, scallions and pickled ginger, and mix with a pair of tongs until the cabbage is evenly coated. Over medium-low heat, heat a frying pan with about 1 tablespoon of oil. Add about 1 1/2 cups batter, and using a spatula, gently flatten into a pancake shape about 1/2-inch thick. If using sliced pork belly, cut the strips in half and place them in a single layer on top of the pancake. Cook until the bottom is golden brown, about 4 minutes, and flip. Cook on the other side, about another 4 minutes, or until the pork (if using) is crisp and the pancake is cooked through and firm. Remove to a plate, and keep warm. Repeat with remaining pancake batter. To assemble: Top each pancake with squiggles of okonomiyaki sauce and Japanese mayonnaise, creating a lattice pattern. Sprinkle a handful of shaved bonito flakes and a pinch of aonori on top. Per serving: 374 calories, 8 g protein, 50 carbohydrate, 16 g fat (1 g saturated), 53 mg cholesterol, 1,191 sodium (using dashi), 3 g fiber.