Upcoming Event
March 18, 2016
Upcoming Event: Free Coffee Tasting with Red Bay
On Saturday, March 19, from noon-3 p.m., we’ll be hosting a free coffee tasting with our friends Red Bay Coffee. Founded in 2014 and based in the Fruitvale District of East Oakland, Red Bay sources single-origin beans that they roast in small batches. The tasting will feature samples of the three Red Bay coffees we carry at Umami Mart – […]
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 23, 2016
Upcoming Event: Hinamatsuri (Girl’s Day) Party this Sunday
Growing up, I was lucky enough to have a full ohinasama set displayed in my house every year. An added bonus was that my mom practices kimekomi ningyo (the art of applying clothing on dolls), so our family set was hand clothed by my mom. It took her over a decade to complete the whole set including […]
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 […]
January 7, 2016
Upcoming Event: The Third Annual JAPAN BEER FEST
Happy New Year! We hope that everyone had a cozy, relaxing holiday season with your loved ones and are ready to rock 2016. It’s going to be a good one — it’s the year of the Monkey! Strap in. We are kicking the year off right with JAPAN BEER FEST, our beloved yearly soiree presented with […]
December 7, 2015
Upcoming Event: Our Annual Hanukkah Party with The Forest Feast
Happy Hanukkah everyone! We are so excited to announce our FOURTH ANNUAL Hanukkah celebration at Umami Mart. What?!? A Hanukkah party at Umami Mart??? That makes no sense! Despite the skepticism, we host this party each year with our good friends Erin Gleeson of The Forest Feast and her husband, Rabbi Jack. It is a […]
November 12, 2015
Upcoming Event: Free Tasting with Q Drinks and Workhorse Bitters
Bitters are great for cocktails, but did you know they make refreshing non-alcoholic drinks, too? This Saturday, November 14, we’re hosting a free tasting event with Workhorse and Q Drinks. Rob Easter, founder or Workhorse, and Meryll Cawn, brand ambassador of Q Drinks, will be on hand mixing delicious carbonated drinks made with Q Club, Tonic, […]
November 9, 2015
Announcing the Studio Arhoj Pop-Up @ Umami Mart
Is this the pop-up that the world has been waiting for, or what?!?!? We’re excited to announce that Danish design and ceramics makers Studio Arhoj will have its first U.S. pop-up shop inside Umami Mart! The Studio Arhoj Pop-Up will take place November 18 through December 24, just in time for the holidays. Umami Mart […]
November 2, 2015
Upcoming Event: Runoff Book Release Party with Tom Manning
Here’s an event that you don’t see very often at Umami Mart — a comic book party! We are so excited to celebrate the release of Runoff by Oakland-based artist and our good friend Tom Manning. Published by Japanese comic book house One Peace Books, Runoff is an intricate, dizzying work by Tom which made its debut in 1999. After years […]