In my kitchen, celery is something that shows up when I make chicken soup. Other than that, I don’t really think to buy celery. The problem (until now) was that I’d use a few stalks for soup and then be stumped as to how to use the rest of it, especially since I am not […]
Author Archives: Yoko Kumano
January 7, 2015
I Know What You Did in Paradise
Four friends find themselves in a secluded VRBO (Vacation Rental By Owner) on the North Shore of Oahu. They thought paradise was at arm’s length, but they were wrong. One by one each thirty-something is lured by the mysterious, irresistible charms of the tropical landscape. Kayoko, the strong-headed of the group, is on a one-woman […]
November 17, 2014
Japanify: Yuzu Marmalade
It seems like there are two types of people in this world: people with too many yuzu in their lives and people who are always in search of yuzu. Unlucky for me, I am in the latter category. But hold your tears! I met someone who has too much yuzu in her life and she […]
November 3, 2014
The Hopkins Buffet: Flor de Izote con Chorizo
We’re in a record drought in California. Luckily, many of the plants in my garden are drought-tolerant and have actually been thriving thanks to consecutive days, weeks and months of dry, hot sunlight. I’ve lived in my house now for a year and a half. This summer was the first time I saw a bloom […]
October 13, 2014
Japanify: Grilled Shio-Koji Nagaimo
Last February, I went to Jicca in Tokyo and had this seemingly unassuming dish. I’ve mainly had raw nagaimo (Chinese yam) julienned or grated in all its gooey glory. But at Jicca, it was seasoned with some serious magic. Lightly grilling this nagaimo brought out a toasty, yammy aroma while retaining its natural saku-saku crunch factor. The magical taste […]
September 25, 2014
Event Recap: Shochu 101, From Kagoshima to California
Alchemy Bottle Shop opened this year in March on Grand Avenue in Oakland. Owners Tova and Peter’s selection is second-to-none, featuring everything from single malts (including a great selection from Japan) to hard-to-find amaros. Kayoko and I get lost in la-la land whenever we enter Alchemy. Our admiration for Alchemy Bottle Shop led to collaborating […]
July 14, 2014
Event Recap: Sake 101 @ 18 Reasons
We’ve been event-crazy here at Umami Mart. We’ve put on one event every week in June and we are not slowing down! We’ve hosted sake events several times at Umami Mart HQ (in Oakland), but on June 10th we took the show on the road to 18 Reasons, a food education space, in San Francisco. […]
June 18, 2014
Japanify: How to Make Japanese Curry from SCRATCH
(Don’t have time to make Japanese curry from scratch? Check out Yoko’s Easy Japanese Curry recipe.) For two months, Kayoko and I at curry for dinner almost every night. As our “How to Make Japanese” curry event in San Francisco’s 18 Reasons approached, we stewed our way to a curry that was rich and full […]
June 5, 2014
TSG Hard Strong Glass Factory (Chiba)
When Kayoko and I started choosing glassware for the shop, we wanted simple and functional glasses that would also look beautiful in any kitchen. With that in mind, we knew one of our mainstays would be the Hard Strong Stacking glasses manufactured by Japan’s famous glass company Toyo-Sasaki. Ramen shops and teishoku (set meal) joints […]