Event Recap

January 29, 2015

Event Recap: Baird Tap Takeover

by Kayoko Akabori

We had a fantastic event with our lovely neighbors, The Trappist, back in November — the brewmaster of Baird Beer was here visiting from Japan, so they took over the taps! They were so kind to invite us in on the fun to collaborate on the event, and so we brought in Casa de Kei […]

January 15, 2015

Event Recap: MUJI x Umami Mart

by Kayoko Akabori

When MUJI came to us last year to put on a collaborative event together, Yoko and I did not not hesitate to say YES. A leading retailer in Japan, MUJI has been around for decades, outfitting people’s homes, kitchens, wardrobes and backpacks full of understated, minimal, yet high-quality goods. We respect them greatly, and were […]

December 15, 2014

Event Recap: Pop-Up Dinner with Jicca from Tokyo

by Kayoko Akabori

As 2014 nearly comes to a close, I wanted to recap one of our favorite events of the year, our Jicca Pop-Up! Tori-chan is a good friend of Yoko’s from Tokyo, who opened up her own restaurant called Jicca last year. We visited her at Jicca in February, and at that time we decided that […]

November 24, 2014

Event Recap: 2nd Annual UMAMI MART MATSURI

by Chris Cabrera

Another summer, come and gone. Erm, another fall, come and gone. It’s starting to get chilly here in the Bay Area so I thought I would bring back some summertime warmth and celebration and blog about our 2nd annual Umami Mart Matsuri. Or as I like to (humbly) call it, Oakland’s Party of the Year. […]

September 25, 2014

Event Recap: Shochu 101, From Kagoshima to California

by Yoko Kumano

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 […]

September 1, 2014

Event Recap: The Fragrance of Whisky

by MC Abbott

I have allowed an unsuitable amount of time to pass before writing about our Fragrance of Whisky evening at Wingtip nearly three months ago. So I’ve dumped all of the evening’s artifacts around me. It’s a mound, quite literally. One Women & Whiskies branded tote, two W&W t-shirts (sorry Lucia), two W&W gift guides, a […]

July 14, 2014

Event Recap: Sake 101 @ 18 Reasons

by Yoko Kumano

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. […]

April 23, 2014

Event Recap: Umami Mart SF Official Launch Party!

by Melissa Gordon

In November, we snuck in to San Francisco and popped-up in The Perish Trust for the holidays. But it’s now April, spring is in bloom, and we’re still here! We’ll actually be staying in San Francisco until the new year, so on April 10th, we had a little party to celebrate our semi-perminant-pop-up. In this […]

March 5, 2014

Event Recap: Ramen Shop in Brooklyn!

by UM Guest

By Anna de Castro Just when I thought February in NY could not get any dreamier (and by dreamy, I mean cold, slushy, and awaiting 6-8 more inches of snow), word came that a Bay Area favorite was making its way east, to shed a bit of light on our blustery season. Ramen Shop Oakland […]

February 26, 2014

Event Recap: Japan Beer Fest 2014

by Melissa Gordon

San Francisco Beer Week 2014 took place February 6th-16th, celebrating the Bay Area craft-beer scene with events, dinners, talks, and good times. We hosted Japan Beer Fest  with The Trappist, a stellar beer bar located around the corner from Umami Mart in Oakland. showcasing ten craft brews from Japan, and the day’s specialty, Pastramen. It was a humid and […]