Yoko and I were so excited to find that one of Yoho Brewery’s tap rooms in Tokyo was right in our hotel! We waited until our very last night in the city to go in for a beer, and looking back, I wish we wouldn’t have. Yona Yona Beer Works was so great — we […]
Author Archives: Kayoko Akabori
March 21, 2016
Upcoming Event: Sake Dinner at Camino!
We are super duper excited to announce a collaboration event with Camino restaurant! It’s our very first sake dinner and we are thrilled to co-host this event with such a special restaurant. Camino is a magical place in Oakland where I bartended for three years before Yoko and I found a home for Umami Mart. Chef Russell Moore opened Camino with […]
March 18, 2016
Itani Ramen Now Open (For the Moment)
We’ve all been patiently waiting for Itani Ramen to open its doors. The time has come… THIS WEEKEND! Kyle Itani, co-owner of Hopscotch restaurant, has been working on this project for years — we even went to his Ramen Nights at Hopscotch, way back when. Yes, opening a late-night ramen spot has always been a […]
March 16, 2016
Upcoming Event: Preserving + Cooking with Koji
We are so excited to announce a class that Yoko and I will be teaching at Preserved, who has just moved into a new space! Preserved is a shop devoted to all things pickling, fermenting and yes, preserving. The owner Elizabeth Vecchiarelli and I worked together at Camino restaurant, and it was always a dream of hers to […]
February 17, 2016
We Are Hiring!
Attention Umami Mart friends! We are growing our team and are calling out to those who would be interested in working with us. This is your dream job, right? To work alongside Yoko, Chris, Sarah, and yours truly, at Umami Mart, a wonderland of bar tools, kitchen gadgets, glassware, salty snacks, Japanese beer and sake — yes, you have been […]
February 9, 2016
Upcoming Event: Tohoku Springs Back – Commemorating 5 Years of Positive Change in Tohoku, Japan
It’s hard to believe that it has been nearly five years since the devastating tsunami disaster in Tohoku. The earthquake struck on March 11, 2011 and news traveled quickly to California. I recall watching footage of towns in northern Japan immersed in water — people being dragged downstream (many who had passed on), while people stood on rooftops of their homes, trying not […]
February 1, 2016
Umami Map: Top 3 Ramen Spots in the Bay Area
Ramen is a touchy subject in the Bay Area. Scratch that, it is a touchy subject ANYWHERE. In New York, LA, Tokyo… it doesn’t matter what town you may be in — everyone has a god damn opinion about ramen. So I haven’t really wanted to tread the waters of “The Best Ramen” in the […]
January 27, 2016
Event Recap: 3rd Annual Japan Beer Fest
Photos by Hermexial Drexilus When we co-hosted our first Japan Beer Fest in 2013 with our neighbor The Trappist, we had no idea that it would become an annual event. But year after year, it has proven to be more successful and debaucherous than the last. How could that be?!?! We offered 30+ microbrews from Japan […]
January 25, 2016
Sneak Peek: The Pot Still at Hitachino Brewery
First there was sake, brewed since 1823 at Kiuchi Brewery in Ibaraki prefecture in Japan. Then, Nest beer in 1996 — catapulting the Hitachino brand around the world. We then learned during our visit that the owner, Mr. Toshiyuki Kiuchi has been dabbling in making shochu, sherry and wine. And now, we unveil their copper […]