Japan Eats!

Our guest is Chris Uhde who is a whisky specialist based in Los Angeles.  Japanese whisky is very popular among whisky connoisseurs in the world lately.  Chris understands Japanese whisky thoroughly but it is not the only reason he is here.  He has done something very precious for the shochu industry.   In Japan, if shochu is barrel-aged for a long time and its color turns amber, you cannot sell i...

Our guest is John Cox, owner and cooper at Quercus Cooperage in the Hudson Valley.  John founded Quercus Cooperage in 2013 to pursue the art of traditional coopering. It is one of the 33 cooperages in the US, and is one of the very few, or maybe the only one that manufactures items for Japanese-style fermentation.  In this episode, we will discuss John’s unique career path, his commitment to tradi...

My guests are Rich Shih and Jeremy Umansky, who just wrote a great book on Koji -  the title of which is “ Koji Alchemy – Rediscovering the magic of mold-based fermentation ”.   Koji is the national mold of Japan.  It is used to make almost all fermented products in Japanese cuisine, such as miso, soy sauce and sake.  Koji is also becoming a culinary keyword lately, and top chefs in the world such...

In this episode, we will discuss why Lillian decided to start Kokoro Care Packages , the artisanal farmers and producers they works with, challenges they face in running the niche global business and much, much more!!! Japan Eats!   is powered by Simplecast .   See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Our guest is Shinobu Kato who is the owner and brewer of Kato Sake Works in Bushwick, Brooklyn.  Shinobu soft-opened his sake brewery in March 2020 after several years of dreaming and careful planning while working as IT project manager at a major corporation in the US. As you may know, New York City already has the first sake brewery Brooklyn Kura in Industry City, which opened in 2017.  The owne...

Our guest is Amanda Cohen who is the chef and owner of Dirt Candy in Lower East Side and co-owner of Lekka Burger in Tribeca in Manhattan.  Amanda has been cooking vegetarian food for the last 20 years, since when vegetarians were in the absolute minority.  She is a James Beard Award-nominated chef and definitely a pioneer of the vegetable-forward movement in the US.   Amanda visited Japan in Dece...

Our guest is Atsushi Kono who is the chef de cuisine at Chikarashi Isso in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan. Previously Atsushi was the executive chef and General Manager at Torishin, which is the destination for authentic yakitori in New York City.  Chikarashi Isso opened in October 2019 and serves beautiful yakitori by Atsushi along with the executive chef Michael Jong Lim’s kappo-style...

Our guest is Massud Ghaussy who has a Japanese food and restaurant blog on instagram under TokyoManhattan . His posts not only describe restaurants he has visited, but also include many other elements behind the dishes, such as history, culture, cooking methods. He appeared on Episode 125, 136 and 152 and shared his favorite Japanese chefs and restaurants in Paris, NY and in Tokyo as well as sushi...

Our guest is Marc Krampe who is the chef and owner of Southern Hospitality Kitchens in Lafayette, Louisiana. Marc has a unique relationship with Japanese cuisine through his wife’s heritage. His interest in Japanese food has developed over time and now he beautifully incorporates Japanese and Southern American elements on his dishes. Marc is also a chef devoted to sustainability.  In this episode,...

Our guests are Alexis Agliano Sanborn and Chris Whittaker.  Alexis joined us on Episode 106 in 2018 to discuss the production of her new film “ Nourishing Japan ”. She is the producer and director of the film and now it is finally on view.  Chris is a professional composer, conductor and pianist, and he created beautiful songs for the film.  Their new film “Nourishing Japan” introduces us to the u...

Our guest is Katsushi Sakai who is the Sushi Head Chef at Kyo Ya , the iconic Japanese restaurant in East Village, Manhattan.  Sushi began to draw attention around 1960s in the US and its popularity has seen exponential growth since 1980s. Who would have imagined 50 years ago that many Americans would eat raw fish on a daily basis? Katsushi came to New York in 2004 after working in Ginza, Tokyo, w...

Our guest is Erik Ramirez, who is the chef and owner of the modern Peruvian restaurant Llama Inn , the casual Peruvian spot Llamita and the modern Nikkei Peruvian restaurant Llama San .   Peruvian cuisine is a hot genre in the culinary world right now.  As you may know, there are Peruvian citizens of Japanese ancestry called Nikkei who has influenced Peruvian cuisine over the last century.  And Er...

Our guest is Jon Klip . He is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and after working at reputable Japanese restaurants in New York, he went to Japan and worked at one of the greatest kaiseki restaurants Arashiyama Kumahiko in Kyoto for 2 years until September 2019.  Working in a Japanese kitchen is not easy for many reasons from language and cultural barriers to visa issues. But Jon con...

Our first guest of 2020 is Elizabeth Andoh, who has joined us seven times on Episodes 18, 61, 83, 99, 108, 131, 156 and shared her deep insight into traditional Japanese food culture.  Elizabeth is a food writer and Japanese cooking instructor based in Tokyo, and she has lived in Japan for over 50 years. She runs the culinary arts program called A Taste of Culture , which offers a great opportunit...

Our guest is Sonoko Sakai who is a cooking teacher, noodle maker, food writer and grain activist based in Los Angeles and Tehachapi in Southern California.  Sonoko just published “Japanese Home Cooking – simple meals, authentic flavors”. It covers everything you would like to know about the basics of Japanese food with tips and personal stories on each page.  In this episode, we will discuss how S...

Our guests are Haru Zenda of Masa , a famed sushi restaurant with three Michelin stars, and Andy May who works at The Polynesian , the cool tiki bar operated by the Major Food Group of Carbone, ZZ’s Clam Bar, Dirty French and other popular spots.   Haru and Andy are the two winners of the Shochu cocktail competition “Spirited Away” held in May.  The winners’ prize was a trip to Kyushu, the souther...

Our guest is Alyssa Mikiko DiPasquale . She is the Director of Communications at Cushman Concepts, which operates multiple successful restaurants including Oya in Boston and New York. The owner Tim Cushman joined us on the show on Episode 10 and talked about his culinary philosophy and the flagship restaurant Oya. Alyssa first joined Oya in Boston as a host and has built her career successfully si...

Our guests are Brandon Doughan and Brian Polen, co-owners of Brooklyn Kura . It is the first sake brewery in New York, which opened at the Industry City in Brooklyn in 2017. They joined us on Episode 105, and discussed why and how created the sake brewery in NY and their sake-making philosophy. Since then, Brooklyn Kura is growing steadily and successfully. You may have seen their sake labels at J...

Our guest is Tetsuya Nick Sakagami , a fish expert based in Los Angeles. Nick joined me on Episode 70 and discussed the Kindai tuna, a unique experiment of farmed Bluefin tuna by the Kinki University in Japan. Nick works as an international business advisor to the university, import sustainable tuna from Tahiti, educate American chefs about fish among other things. Also, he recently published a bo...

Our guests are Joshua Foulquier, co-owner of Sushi Noz , and Joshua Copeland, beverage director and general manager. Sushi Noz is an authentic ８-seat sushi restaurant in Upper East Side with a Michelin star.  Joshua Copeland has extensive experience at highly reputable western and Japanese restaurants, including Del Posto and Brushstroke by David Bouley. He has built an impressive beverage list a...

Our guest is Shuzo Nishiyama, the 6th generation president of Nishiyama Shuzojo in Tamba, Hyogo Prefecture. After working at a major TV production company in Tokyo, Shuzo returned to succeed his family business. Now the 170-year old award-winning sake brewery is known for its innovative culture.  In this episode, Shuzo will discuss his various efforts to revive the male-dominant conservative sake...

Our guest is Arisa Forbes, a specialty cake designer and cookbook author based in NYC. Cakes are often the highlight of important events, including weddings, birthdays and other celebrations, and designing specialty cakes can be as challenging as designing a dress or making a sculpture. Arisa was born and raised in Japan but her passion and hard work led her to build a career here in NY.  Today, w...

Our guest is Amy Watanabe, executive chef at Sake Bar Satsuko in East Village, Manhattan.  Sake Bar Satsuko is a unique Japanese restaurant originally opened by her mother Satsuko Watanabe in 2004.    In this episode, Amy discusses the charm of Sake Bar Satsuko, her life as the chef at the restaurant, challenges she faces in succeeding the legacy of her mother, and much, much more!!! Japan Eats is...

Our guests are Kirsten and Christopher Shockey. They are the co-founders of Ferment Works where they educate people about fermented foods. They are also the co-author of multiple books about fermentation, including “ Miso, Tempeh, Natto & Other Tasty Ferments: A Step-by-Step Guide to Fermenting Grains and Beans ", which came out in June 2019. Fermented foods are gaining global attention lately...

Our guest is Stephen Lyman who is known as a leading shochu expert. He joined us on Episode 23 and talked about shochu extensively. He moved to Japan in 2018 and now lives in the mecca of shochu Fukuoka Prefecture in Japan. Stephen recently published an intriguing book titled “ The Complete Guide to Japanese Drinks ”. Also, he now has a cool shochu bar in Fukuoka. In this episode, we will discuss...