We are so excited to announce this special event with you all. A night with Shrub & Co.! Started in Atlanta, Shrub & Co. owners Deborah and Juan made their way west last year and landed right here in the East Bay, in Berkeley, CA. We’ve been talking these last few months about teaming up, […]
Author Archives: Kayoko Akabori
October 6, 2014
Visiting Asahi Copper Factory
When we voiced our wish to visit a few factories in Japan earlier this year, we didn’t realize that so many of them would be in the same town. Not just that, but only a short drive from one another. Tsubame City in Niigata is well known throughout Japan for its high quality steel, having […]
September 29, 2014
Happy Hour: Tokyo Mule
Heyyyy, Happy Hour is BACK! I spent all weekend trying to come up with a clever column name for this post, which would also be used for future articles about cocktails that I make at home (Bar Umami Mart? Kayoko Bar? Bar Kayo?). But I had an A-HA moment this morning in the shower… Happy […]
September 15, 2014
Celebrating Atelier Dion
Atelier Dion has been an important part of the Umami Mart family since we first opened our doors in Oakland in 2012. This husband and wife team, Rie and Jay Dion, are talented ceramicists who run a dynamic studio in West Oakland. They collaborate with restaurants, bars, cafes, coffee roasters, tea shops, art collectives and […]
August 11, 2014
Upcoming Events: What is Umami? + Muji Summertime Drinks Seminar
We’re excited to announce upcoming events with collaborators in San Francisco that we greatly admire. 18 Reasons and MUJI! The first event is coming up this next Monday 8/18 at 18 Reasons in San Francisco. Yoko and I will be exploring the concept of U M A M I: its roots, definition, examples and tastings. […]
August 4, 2014
Umami Mart Map: Kauai aka Paradise
Ah, Kauai. We went over New Year’s, to unwind after an exhaustive holiday season. Yoko and I felt we deserved a nice vacation, and we brought along our sig others, my brother Keisuke, and Jay and Rie of Atelier Dion. There’s obviously a ton to explore on the island, and we culled a lot of […]
July 28, 2014
Upcoming Event: 2nd Annual Umami Mart Matsuri
Guess what? It’s our birthday! We’re turning TWO years old (can you believe?!?!?!) and as we promised, we are making our Matsuri festival an annual tradition and throwing yet another big bash to celebrate our summertime birthday (holla to the Leos). If you came to last year’s Matsuri, you know how insane it is — […]