Author Archives: Kayoko Akabori


July 15, 2009

Daytrip to Calistoga: Cafe Sarafornia

by Kayoko Akabori

Erin was in town for a few weeks and I went up to see her in her hometown near Santa Rosa. What a trip! We killed some roosters together, ate her first meat meal together, and enjoyed the gorgeous Sonoma County sun. One day we decided to go “into town” to Calistoga- which is a […]

July 14, 2009

The Umami Reader, vol. 064

by Kayoko Akabori

– German chef blows off his hands after a home kitchen molecular gastronomy session with liquid nitrogen. Brings new weight to the term, “Don’t try this at home.” (Telegraph; via Ricky) – Founder of esteemed cattle ranch Bill Niman’s new venture BN Ranch, after being pushed out of the Niman Ranch enterprise. “I’m not willing […]

July 12, 2009

UMAMIMART Relaunch is COMING!

by Kayoko Akabori

Hey Everyone- Sorry I’ve been off the radar- I’ve been working a lot and so haven’t been in front of the computer much in the past few days. Plus, I spent an arduously few days making apricot jam!!! It was an intense project which I will share with you soon. In case you’re wondering, UMAMIMART […]

July 8, 2009

Lazyass Cookin’: 8 Ingredients to Gazpacho (Traditional)

by Kayoko Akabori

I was inspired to make this when watching Jacques Pepin make it on his show the other day. He just made it look so easy- it’s a raw vegetable soup for god’s sake! No pots and pans- just your knife, peeler and food processor. It’s a lazyass cook’s call from heaven. I’m working at a […]

July 7, 2009

The Umami Reader, vol. 063

by Kayoko Akabori

– Put your deposit down on a chicken or lamb from Awesome Farms in upstate NY! Delivered to the Brooklyn Kitchen once a month between now and October. Order online now. (Awesome Farms) – A list of 10 crazy-looking hotdogs. Check out the totally nasty spaghetti dogs! And props to my friend Tam Ngo for […]

July 6, 2009

Adventures in Chicken Liver Pate

by Kayoko Akabori

Last week I had some fresh chicken livers in the fridge (from a rooster I killed with my own bare hands!!! More about that some other time). Chicken livers are so cheap, but this was my very first time cooking with them! My mama got this new Cuisinart mixer/food processor that I wanted to try […]

July 3, 2009

Kitchen Follies: Can’t Caramelize Onions To Save My Life

by Kayoko Akabori

I don’t get it- caramelizing onions looks like it would be so easy, right??? But somehow, I’m always fucking it up, every time. I watched this video online (the guy is kinda cute!) and thought alright, I can do this. WRONG!!! It was all going so well- I chopped the onions, added oil, butter and […]

July 1, 2009

The Umami Reader, vol. 062: Fort Lee Hot Dog Walk!

by Kayoko Akabori

– Don’t miss the 7th Annual Fort Lee Hot Dog Walk THIS SUNDAY!!! Walk over the George Washington Bridge to New Jersey’s historic Fort Lee and eat hot dogs along the way! Sounds super dreamy- email Bernard Ente for exact meeting instructions at bernard@workingharbor.org. Check out last year’s tour here. Someone please go on my […]

June 30, 2009

Front Yard Yakitori Shack (Tokyo)

by Kayoko Akabori

My father has one sister and four brothers- all of who are in the restaurant business. The Akaboris are destined to work with food, what can I say?? My brother just spent some time in a hoity-toity restaurant in Barcelona, and I just started a job at a Spanish restaurant in Menlo Park. As LOST’s […]

June 26, 2009

Fridgin’ Out: Capitan Rum from Russia

by Kayoko Akabori

I’m trying to take a new approach to Fridgin’ Out- thought that it would be more interesting if just the more unique, peculiar items were featured. So I went through my best friend Khoi’s fridge the other week and found some great stuff (fire-engine absinthe from Spain!). Khoi and his wife Sarah live in San […]