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WOKUNI Spreading Japan’s high-quality fresh seafood to the world

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By Aya Ota

“WOKUNI”, an innovative restaurant which offers fresh seafood cultivated directly from their own self-operated aqua-farm in Nagasaki, appeared in Midtown in late October, and has become the talk of the town.

“I would like to spread the Japanese food culture in which people eat fresh seafood, to the world,” says Daiichi Sakamoto, President of Tokyo Ichiban Foods (the company is listed with the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange). This company opened a fugu (blowfish) specialty restaurant called “Torafugu Tei” first in 1996 in Shinjuku, Tokyo, and since then, they have developed a restaurant chain of 50 restaurants specialized in seafood in the Kanto area including “Torafugu Tei” and “Uohkuni”, etc.

With the company’s philosophy, “to serve high quality food ingredients at reasonable prices”, they launched their own aqua-farm in 2011. They are Japan’s one and only food service company which handles everything by themselves including producing, processing, and selling of seafood.

The sales points of “WOKUNI”, their first overseas development, are undoubtedly their own brand tuna and adult yellowtail. Their own aquafarm is located in a cove flourishing with nature, where the clear stream of Yasumandake, the highest peak of Hirado City, Nagasaki prefecture, and Tsushima Ocean current meet. They conduct an environment-friendly sustainable cultivation by not catching young fish until they grow to become as large as 50 kilograms or more, etc. They also follow through with quality control by feeding fish with human-consumable fresh sardine and mackerel. I was impressed to know that they produce tuna and yellowtail, considering American customers who do not care for the fishy smell by making adjustments with the foods for the fish. They are the most particular about freshness. Normally, it would take 5 days for the fish to arrive at the restaurant if distributed through the fish market, but for them, it takes only 48 hours because they use their own distribution route to directly send fish from the aqua-farm. The fish are never frozen in the direct shipping, so the quality and taste stay its best. Cultivating fish in its own fishing ground makes consistent supplying possible, and also their own distributing system allows them to keep the prices as low as 60 to 70% of the normal distributing system. In addition to their own tuna and yellowtail, other naturally-caught fish is procured through their own distribution system every week from Tsukiji and various Kyushu areas, and overall, 80 to 90% of their fish is from Japan. The rich variety on the menu that includes not only sushi and sashimi, but also hot grilled, fried, and BBQed dishes, and cold dishes such as tartar, carpaccio, etc., allows you to enjoy the goodness of seafood fully. 30 brands of Japanese sake are strictly selected with the view of “best pairing with the seafood” in mind. From the end of November, they started to serve lunch, and the items such as seafood bowls, chirashi sushi, unagi bowls, etc., are served with reasonable pricing.

“There is no other country but Japan in which such high-quality seafood can be caught naturally or cultivated. I would like to spread the splendidness of Japanese seafood culture from New York, which can be called the Capital of the world,“ says Mr. Sakamoto as his reason to have chosen New York as the base for the company’s first overseas development. While popularity of sushi and sashimi grows bigger, fish consuming population seems to grow every year by one hundred million globally. “I am surprised that customers’ fish consumption is much larger than I originally expected. I feel that we must set our future prospects by looking at the world from now on,” continued Mr. Sakamoto. At “WOKUNI”, most of their customers are local Americans. After the grand opening,they have been making adjustments in the details of the menu structure, food volume, presentation, tastes, etc. according to the customers’ reactions. Their American customers are speaking highly about the restaurant, saying “It is a place where you can eat high-quality sushi and sashimi at reasonable prices”.

In the future, he wants to expand not only the restaurant business, but the company’s own brand of tuna and yellowtail wholesale business, basing WOKUNI. They keep challenging the world as a general fisheries company. He is very enthusiastic about becoming the base of spreading Japanese food culture itself, not to mention seafood.


日本の高品質な鮮魚を世界に向けて発信

長崎の自社漁場から直送する鮮魚を提供する画期的な店『WOKUNI』(うおくに)が、2017年10月末、ミッドタウンに登場して話題になっている。

「新鮮な魚を食する日本の食文化を世界に広めたい」と語るのは『東京一番フーズ』(東証一部上場企業)の代表取締役社長、坂本大地氏。同社は、1996年に、ふぐ料理専門店『とらふぐ亭』を東京・新宿に開店して以来、現在では、関東地方中心に『とらふぐ亭』や『魚王KUNI』など、魚介料理を強みにしたレストラン約50 店舗を展開している。同社では「こだわりの食材を手頃な価格で提供したい」という理念を持ち、2011年に自社漁場に着手。魚類の生産、加工、販売まで一貫して手がける日本唯一の外食産業だ。

同社の海外初進出店となる『WOKUNI』の目玉は、なんと言っても、自社ブランドのマグロとブリだ。自社漁場は、長崎県平戸市最高峰の安満岳の清流と対馬海流が流れ込む、自然の恵み豊かな入り江に位置している。稚魚の乱獲をせずに50 キロ以上になるまで大きく育てるなど、環境にも配慮したサステナブルな養殖方法を採用。そして、人も食べられる鮮度のイワシやサバを餌として与え、品質管理を徹底している。魚臭を苦手に感じる米国人顧客を意識して、餌を工夫して、魚臭が少ないマグロやブリを生産していることにも驚かされる。一番のこだわりは鮮度だ。通常、市場を介して流通した場合、約5 日かかるところ、自社ルートで漁場からレストランへ直送するため、たった48 時間で到着するという。一切冷凍せずに直送するため、品Interior Exterior質や味の点でも引けを取らない。自社漁場で生産するので安定供給も可能で、市場を介さず自社流通するため価格も約60 〜70%に抑えられる。このマグロとブリ以外にも、独自の流通ルートを通して、築地市場や九州各地から天然魚を毎週取り寄せており、店全体で使う魚介類の8 〜9 割が日本産だ。メニューは、寿司や刺身はもちろんのこと、焼き物、揚げ物、串焼きなどの温菜から、タルタルやカルパッチョなどの冷菜まで豊富に揃い、魚介類の魅力を味わい尽くすことができる。日本酒は“ 魚と合わせて美味しい”という観点で厳選し約30種類用意している。11 月末からはランチもスタート、海鮮丼やちらし寿司、ウナギ丼などを手頃な価格で提供している。

「天然も養殖も、これだけ高品質な魚介類が捕れる国は、日本以外にない。世界の食の首都とも言えるニューヨーク、世界中から多くの人が集まるニューヨークから、日本の魚介類のすばらしさを発信していきたい」と、坂本氏は海外初の拠点をニューヨークに定めた理由を語る。寿司や刺身の人気が高まる中、世界的に見て、魚食人口は毎年1 億人ずつ増えていると言われている。「お客様が魚を食べる量が、当初予想していたよりもはるかに多くて驚いている。これからは世界を見据えていかないといけない」と坂本氏。同店では、顧客のほとんどが地元米国人。グランドオープニング後は、顧客の反応を見ながら、メニュー構成や、ボリュームや盛り付け方、味付けなど、細かい点で見直しをかけているという。米国人客からも「高品質な寿司や刺身をリーズナブルに食べることができる」と好評だ。

今後はこの『WOKUNI』を拠点に、レストラン事業だけでなく、自社ブランドのマグロやブリの卸売り事業を広げていきたいと考えている。“ 総合水産企業”として、世界へ挑戦し続けている。魚介類はもちろんのこと、日本食文化そのものの発信拠点にもなりたいと意欲的だ。



WOKUNI
325 Lexington Ave.
New York, NY 10016
(212) 447-1212
http://wokuninyc.com
Dinner Mon.-Fri. 5:00pm-10:30pm
Lunch Mon.Fri.11:30am-2:45pm
Sunday Closed
#Japanese #NY #alljapannews #restaurant #sashimi #seafood #sushi #wokuni

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Shibumi Oita Fair held at a trendy kaiseki cuisine restaurant

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By Keiko Fukuda

It was right after their 2016 opening when the restaurant became the talk of the town as a “Japanese restaurant in downtown, to which people pay a lot of attention”. They won second place in the “101 Best Restaurants 2016” by Jonathan Gold. It is “Shibumi”. David Schlosser is the owner/chef there.

The first time I visited Shibumi was in September of 2016 when a JETRO event was held with David’s skillful cooking, using produce from the Oita prefecture. The restaurant is located in the Midtown district of Los Angeles where a lot of renovation is going on, and it is located at a corner of a building which does not have any visible sign. The impression I got from such a location and its appearance is that this place is like a hide-out which is supported by customers who visit just to taste his cooking. However, as mentioned before, David’s skills
which developed through experiences through working in Kyoto, etc., have been highly claimed, and so exposed on many media outlets, that he cannot just stay hidden quietly.

David was born in Santa Monica, California. He explained how he became interested in Japanese cuisine as follows: “There are many people in California who basically are health conscious, and I also have been leading a lifestyle with a very healthy eating habit. While I was traveling around Asian countries in 2000, I visited Japan, which gave me a strong impression, and Japan became a special place for me. I was touched by the people I met, Zen, and the foods of Japan.” He was a chef of French cuisine. He accumulated his experiences in Japanese cuisine in Tokyo and Kyoto, and then worked in a famous Japanese restaurant in LA after returning to the US. In July of 2016, he opened the long-awaited Shibumi restaurant.

“For Americans, Japanese cuisine is no longer something rare. However, to me, focusing on sushi for example, Japanese cuisine served in the US has been transformed to suit Americans’ tastes. I opened this restaurant hoping to offer true authentic Japanese cuisine to Americans. Therefore, I dare not serve sushi, and set up menu items that are non-fusion and have real Japanese tastes loved by the people of Japan.” The realization of Oita’s produce event in the fall of 2016 was led by his hope to deliver genuine items to America, which met the purpose of JETRO to deliver more Japanese ingredients to the American market. Then, in December of 2017, another Oita Fair was held at Shibumi, which lasted 10 days. At this Fair, a special menu – an original recipe created by David using Bungo-gyu (beef) sent directly from the Oita prefecture, yellowtail, and shiitake mushrooms was offered to the customers for tasting. The menu, which is a realization of the collaboration of Oita ingredients and David, had 2 courses, one for $75, and the other for $40, which included salt-grilled Bungo beef with yuzu pepper, yellowtail tataki with kabosu citrus sauce, and miso soup with sweet potato/shiitake balls.

David commented on the Oitamade food ingredients at the Fair as follows: “I was able to produce a very rich and deep taste thanks to the dried shiitake mushrooms I used with konbu for dashi of the miso soup. Bungo beef is considered to be in between Miyazaki beef, which is known for its light-tasting fat, and Kobe beef, which is well-balanced with fat. Bungo beef is relatively not as well-known as the other two in the US, and it will require some effort to make it more known here in the future. The characteristic of the yellowtail is its simple taste.”

Personally, I was most impressed with the miso soup with shiitake mushrooms. It reminded me of Dango-jiru, an Oita local favorite, which has a comforting taste that heals your body and soul. I freshly felt astonished and touched again to know that such very profound Japanese cuisine was being made by an American without showing any deliberate eccentricity. The Oitamade yuzu-kosho (pepper) served with the Bungo beef exquisitely brought out the umami of the meat. A special freshtasting cocktail made with Oita shochu brand “Ichiko” with kabosu juice was also served there.

Based on the success of the 2017 Oita Fair, David is looking forward to and is enthusiastic about a 2018 Oita Fair, saying “I would like to present a recipe using Sekiaji, Sekisaba, and again Bungo beef next time”. I heard that he is also planning to go to Oita to visit production sites before the next Fair.


話題の懐石料理店で大分フェア開催

その店が「ダウンタウンにある注目の日本食レストラン」として話題になったのは、2016年にオープンして間もなくのことだった。ジョナサン・ゴールドが選んだ「101Best restaurants 2016」では第2 位に選出された、デビッド・シュロッサーさんがオーナーシェフを務める渋味だ。

最初に訪れたのは、大分県の物産を使ってデビッドさんが腕を振るったJETRO のイベントが開催された2016 年9月。再開発が進むロサンゼルスのダウンタウン地区にあり、ビルの一角にある同店には目立つ看板も掲げられていない。ロケーションといい、外観といい、料理を目当てに訪れる客によって支持されている隠れ家的な店だという印象だ。しかし、前述のように、京都でも料理人経験があるデビッドさんの手腕が評価され、ひっそりと隠れているわけにはいかないほどに多くのメディアで取り上げられてきた。

デビッドさんはカリフォルニアのサンタモニカ生まれ。日本料理に興味を持ったきっかけを次のように語る。「カリフォルニアにはもともと健康志向の人が多く、私自身も非常に健康的な食生活を送ってきました。2000 年にアジア各地を旅行した時に、日本に立ち寄り、私にとっては特別な場所だという強い印象を持ちました。特に、日本で巡り会った人々、禅、そして食に深い感銘を受けました」

もともとフランス料理のシェフだったデビッドさんは、東京や京都で日本食の経験を積み、アメリカに戻ってからもロサンゼルスの有名な日本食レストランで料理人を務めた。そして2016年6月、満を持して渋味を開店した。

「アメリカ人にとって日本料理はすでに珍しいものではありません。しかし、寿司を中心に、アメリカで出されている日本料理はアメリカ人の舌に合うように変容したものになっていると思います。私は本来のオーセンティックな日本料理をアメリカ人に提供したいという思いで店を開けました。ですから、あえて寿司は出さず、フュージョンではない、日本人に愛されているリアルテイストの日本食をメニューに並べています」 本物をアメリカで届けたいという思いが、日本産の食材をよりアメリカ市場へというJETRO の目的と合致し、2016 年秋の大分県の物産のイベント開催につながった。そして、2017年12月には10日にわたり、渋味で大分フェアが改めて開催された。これは、大分県から直送された豊後牛。ハマチ、シイタケを使って、デビッドさんがオリジナルレシピを考案し、テイスティングメニューとして顧客に提供するという内容。75 ドルと40 ドルの2種類のメニューが用意され、塩でグリルされた豊後牛の柚子胡椒添えやハマチのタタキのカボスソース、またシイタケが入ったさつまいもの饅頭の味噌汁をはじめ、大分の食材とデビッドさんのコラボレーションが実現した。

同フェアで取り上げた大分県産の食材について、デビッドさんは「味噌汁の出汁に昆布と共に使った干しシイタケのおかげで非常に豊かで深い味を出せました。豊後牛は、さっぱりした脂が持ち味の宮崎牛と脂が乗っている神戸牛との中間に位置します。神戸牛や宮崎牛に比べてまだまだアメリカでは知名度がないので、今後、知らせるための努力が必要ですね。ハマチはシンプルな味が特徴」と評価した。

個人的に最も印象に残ったのはシイタケを使った味噌汁。大分の郷土料理、団子汁を思わせる、心も身体も癒されるホッとする味だった。奇をてらうことなく、非常に奥深さを感じさせる日本食がアメリカ人によって作られていることに、改めて驚きと感動を覚えた。

また、豊後牛に添えられた柚子胡椒も大分県産。肉の旨みを絶妙に引き立てていた。大分県の焼酎ブランド、「いいちこ」をカボス果汁で割った、爽やかな特製カクテルも振る舞われた。

デビッドさんは、2017 年の大分フェアを踏まえて、2018 年にも「今度は関アジ、関サバ、そして再び豊後牛を使ったレシピを提供したい」と再度の開催に意欲を見せている。その前に生産現場の視察を目的に、大分県を訪問する計画も持ち上がっているとのことだ。



Shibumi
815 S. Hill St.
Los Angeles, CA 90014
(323) 484-8915
http://www.shibumidtla.com/
Tue.-Sun. 6:00pm-10:30pm
Monday Closed
#LA #alljapannews #kaiseki #restaurant #shibumi #sushi

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Fermented foods attract attention due to health-consciousness boom

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By Elli Sekine

“AEDAN”’ tent shop in the Saturday Farmer’s Market held in the very popular Ferry Building in San Francisco, which sells fermented foods such as miso and koji that are not sold at any other shops, is attracting attention. “Miso” and “Koji”, which are the typical products in San Francisco’s unprecedented fermented food boom, have been adapted in menus by America’s top chefs. Lately, you even see the word “Koji” in some restaurant menus. Like setting fire on such a boom, Aedan Fermented Foods, a manufacturer of all hand-made miso and koji-- indispensable ingredients from ancient Japan-- is creating a movement.

The founder, Mariko Gledy, launched this business initially to donate the profit from the sales of hand-made miso to her friends to 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake victims, thinking what she could do to help from the US. “Before that time, I was making miso for my own family. I got an idea of selling it to my friends so I can donate the money from the sales,” says Mariko. She started to make miso at home to inherit a Japanese tradition to her children. “I felt the great power of miso once again when I learned that you can basically survive for a few days with only miso and water.” As she was studying further on miso and koji for the future business opportunity, she felt a strong hope for conveying this wisdom of Japan to as many people as possible, especially to American children who are responsible for the next generation. This hope of her is reflected on the company name, Aedan (wisdom transmission), and has also become the The founder, Mariko Gledy, launched this business initially to donate the profit from the sales of hand-made miso to her friends for the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake victims, thinking of what she could do to help from the US. “Before that time, I was making miso for my own family. I got the idea of selling it to my friends so I can donate the money from the sales,” says Mariko. She started to make miso at home to pass on a Japanese tradition to her children. “I felt the great power of miso once again when I learned that you can basically survive for a few days with only miso and water.” As she was studying further about miso and koji for the future business opportunity, she felt a strong hope for conveying this wisdom of Japan to as many people as possible, especially to American children who are responsible for the next generation. This hope of hers is reflected on the company name, Aedan (wisdom transmission), and has also become the company mission as well.

In the following year, 2012, the company started a full-fledged sales activity by joining an incubation kitchen, “La Cocina”, which supports female and minorities to start businesses. From then on, the variety of merchandise production and the business structure continued to expand by receiving business advice and support from La Concina. The company steadily gained more recognition through catering of cuisines using house-made fermented condiments, and workshops, lectures, etc.

In 2016, she founded an LLC, and in the same year, the company acquired a regular presence in the Saturday Ferry Building Farmer’s Market, which every small business owner in the food industry dreams of. In the tent of the Farmer’s Market, miso soup, amazake ($3 each), and Hakkoh Bento (Fermented lunch box, $15) using miso and koji, etc. are sold in order to let people who do not yet know about miso learn about its attractive benefits. Aedan manufactures and sells 4 kinds of miso, shiokoji, amazake-based marinade called Sagohachi, and amazake, all made with organic soy beans and/or rice ($10 each). They also sell chickpea miso made uniquely with chickpeas instead of soy beans. Their locally-made miso goes through no fermentation-stopping process such as heating, and thus the koji enzyme stays alive, and helps create a deeper taste as it ages. The amazake completed by the Vitamix machine is so smooth, creamy and rich, and gaining popularity for its uniquely profound taste. Not only do they sell, but they also carry out to let people know the delicious ways to eat miso and koji. The Shiokoji kit ($20) that contains mixed raw koji and salt, is popular among travelers because it is easy to carry around under natural temperatures.

Japanese cuisine has well settled into the local scenes lately, and more and more Americans even know what koji or shiokoji are, not to mention what miso is. Helped by such a background, wholesale orders are increasing from long-established San Franciscan grocers such as Rainbow Grocery and Bi-Rite Market, and also from restaurants. The catering menu that includes omelet cooked with amazake, tofu dengaku marinated in shiokoji, koji pickles, etc. is well received, and orders have also increased year after year for its simple yet deep tasting selection of items. Their Washoku Lunch menu which is gentle to your body, is also becoming an important part even for many Americans.

Mariko continues, “My goal is to have everybody make miso at home. Different miso for each family!” In order to achieve this goal of miso making and eating at every household, she is diligently putting efforts in miso making workshops and classes called “Terakoya Aedan”. She is expanding such activities to teach American citizens Japanese traditional food cultures by also having lectures at some museums and health-conscious specialty stores.

The number of fans of Aedan Fermented Foods has grown in the past 6 years due to its diligent efforts in conveying the good benefits of miso and koji. Now Mariko is planning to take a new step. At this point, there is no store fixture, but she is hoping to open a “Miso Café”, which would be a store with a café space.

There, she wants not only to sell miso and koji and serve miso soup and dishes, but also to have a space for miso-making workshops and cooking classes. Such days when you can enjoy body-friendly foods at a San Francisco’s very first fermented foods specialty café may come soon.


健康志向ブームで注目を浴びる発酵食品

サンフランシスコ最大のファーマーズマーケット、フェリープラザの土曜日に出店している味噌や麹などの発酵食品を売る「Aedan」が注目を集めている。

この2、3 年の発酵食品ブームを背景に、家庭の主婦からシェフまで買付が急増し、最近ではレストランのメニューで「koji」の字を時々見かける。日本古来から欠かせないものであった伝統の発酵食品を全て手作りで生産する会社、Aedan Fermented Foods ( 叡伝) が、ムーブメントを起こしている。

創設者の摩利子グレディ氏は、2011年の東日本大震災時、被災地のためにアメリカで何が出来るかを考えた時、味噌を作って、その売り上げを寄付したいとこのビジネスを立ち上げた。「それまでは家族の為に作っていました。その味噌を友人に買ってもらって、売り上げを寄付することを思いついたんです」と摩利子氏。味噌を家で作り始めたきっかけは、アメリカでも子供達に日本の伝統食文化を継承したいという思いからだ。「基本的に味噌と水があれば人間は数日生きていけることを知り、味噌の力のすごさを改めて感じたんです」。販売するにあたって味噌や麹についてさらに探求するうち、この日本の叡智を次の世代を担うアメリカの子供達、もっと多くの人々に伝えていきたいという気持ちが強くなったという。その想いは社名の「叡伝」に表され、会社のミッションになっている。

翌2012 年には、女性やマイノリティの起業を支援するインキュベーションキッチン、「ラ・コシーナ」に加わり、本格的な販売へと乗り出した。そこからラ・コシーナのビジネスアドバイスとサポートを受けながら商品の生産の種類、ビジネス形態も拡張した。例えば自家製発酵調味料を使った料理のケータリングや、ワークショップ、レクチャーなどを通じて地道に認知度を上げてきた。

2016年にはLLCを設立した。同年、食関係のスモールビジネスのオーナーなら誰でもあこがれる、土曜日のフェリービルディングファーマーズマーケットのレギュラー出店を獲得した。このテントでは、まだ味噌に馴染みがない人たちにもその魅力を伝えるため、味噌汁や甘酒(1杯$3)、味噌や塩麹などを使った発酵弁当($15) なども販売している。現在叡伝ではオーガニックの大豆と米を使い4種類の味噌に塩麹、Sagohachi という甘酒ベースの漬床や甘酒(各$10)を製造販売している。ユニークなものでは大豆の代わりにひよこ豆を使ったChickpea Miso がある。地元で作っているため、加熱処理など発酵を止める処理をしていない味噌は、麹の酵素が生きており、熟成が進むほどに深い味わいになる。バイタミックスでなめらかに仕上げられた甘酒はクリーミーで濃厚と評判がよい。Aedan では、売る為だけではなく、味噌と麹の美味しい食べ方を人々に伝えるのが信条だ。

近年では日本食人気が定着し、味噌はもちろん、麹の認知度がアメリカ人に広がり、レインボーグローサリーやバイライトマーケットなど、サンフランシスコの老舗食料品店、レストラン、ケータリングの注文も増えている。年々増えているケータリングの内容は、甘酒を使った卵焼きや塩麹に漬け込んだ豆腐の田楽、麹のピクルスなどシンプルだが奥深い味わいのメニューが好評だ。体に優しい和食ランチはアメリカ人にとっても貴重な存在になっている。

さらに摩利子氏は、「目標はみんなに家で味噌を手作りしてもらうこと。一家に一味噌!」と、人々にそれぞれの家で味噌を仕込み使えるよう、味噌作りのワークショップ、「寺子屋叡伝」にも力を入れている。また、美術館や健康思考のスペシャリティストアに出向き講義も行うなど、活動を広げながら日本の伝統的食文化をアメリカ市民に教導している。

6 年かけて地道に味噌と麹の魅力を伝えてきた「叡伝」にはファンも増え、同司は次のステップをもくろんでいる。現在のところまだ固定店舗はないが、今後の展望はカフェを併設した“味噌カフェ” をオープンすることだという。味噌や麹の販売はもちろん、味噌汁や料理を提供するのみでなく、味噌作りワークショップ、料理教室も開催できるスペースを備えたいという。サンフランシスコ初の発酵食品スペシャリティーカフェで体に優しい食事を楽しめる日も近いかもしれない。

Aedan Fermented Foods: http://aedansf.com/
#Aedan #Japanese #SF #alljapannews #cuisine #koji #miso #shiokoji

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Four Key Points of Selling and Developing Sake

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By Yuji Matsumoto

Many of those involved in sake tend to prefer to use vague and mysterious expressions. It seems as if they dislike saying anything definitive about a product’s characteristics. However, in order to sell specific sake in a market full of many options (including wine and beer), sake makers need to have a more focused development and sales effort. This can be said about both the manufacturers and the sellers. If a sake is just “good for anyone” or “goes with everything” it just won’t stand out.

Think of it as a description of a person who wants a serious relationship with you. If you really like the person, saying “he/she is a very nice person” is simply rude.

Dealing with many consumers on a daily basis making proposals on sake, I realize that there are requisite key points. Going over these points alone makes the conversation a success. Roughly speaking, there are four points. The first is aroma. Explain the strength of the product’s aroma (gorgeous or tender) and its characteristics (fruity, floral, alcohol).

The second is body. Explain the product’s sweetness, acid taste, bitterness, and also how it goes down one’s throat.

The third is food pairing. Select the absolute best dish for it. Don’t explain too much, just say it simply: “No other sake goes better with salmon sashimi!”

The fourth is temperature. Explain which temperature setting is best for the product: room temperature, hot, or cold?

Sake manufacturers need to be aware of these points as well. Have a clear vision when developing a product, such as where your target market is, and what you want it to do. “I want my sake to pair with beef steaks like no red wines can” is a good example. And make sure you convey the message in your marketing effort.

Also make sure that these four points are mentioned in your menus, and stressed in your staff training sessions.


日本酒を売る・開発する4つのポイント

多くの日本酒に携わっている人たちは、あいまいな微妙で神秘的な表現が好きだ。商品の特徴を特定したり、断言することを嫌うように感じられる。しかし、多くの選択肢(ワイン、ビールも含めた)から特定の日本酒を選んで売るためには、ある程度特定した市場に対してその商品を開発したり、提案する必要がある。これは造り手も販売者も同じだ。万人にうける商品や何にでも合うものは、あってもいいが説得力がない。

あの人は、どいういう人、と聞かれ「とてもいい人です」では、真剣に交際をしようとしている人に失礼なのと同じだ。

多くの消費者と日々接し、日本酒について提案しているとやはりセールストークには “落としどころ” というものがある。ここのポイントだけを抑えていれば大体は納得してもらえるものというツボだ。大きく分けると大体4つに集約される。

一つ目は、香りだ。まずは強弱(華やかかおとなしい)と特徴(果実、花、アルコール臭など)を伝える。

二つ目は、ボディー。甘さ、酸味、苦味以外にドライ感などのど越しの感覚を伝える。

三つ目は、食事との相性。ここではこれなら絶対負けない一番の料理を選ぶ。あれこれ言うとポイントがぼけるので、ずばり「サーモン刺身ならうちの酒に敵うものなし!」ぐらいがいい。

四つ目は、温度帯。なぜこの酒は冷(常温)、燗、冷酒が向いているのか?を理解してもらう。

これは、販売者だけに限らず、生産者も商品を開発する際に重要な点である。しっかりとしたビジョンで開発し、これならこの市場、たとえばビーフステーキ料理ならどの赤ワインにも負けない、くらいの日本酒がほしいものだ。そしてそれを伝えるきちんとしたマーケティング資料や商品パンフレットの文面に記載するべきである。

また、この4ポイントをメニューの中に生かしたり、従業員トレーニングにも生かしていただきたい。
#alljapannews #keypoints #sake #selling

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1st France Sake Competition

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By Kosuke Kuji

At the “Kura Master – Le Grand Concours de Sake Japonais de Paris 2017” this year that was held in France for the 1st time, we are excited to mention that Nanbu Bijin “Shinpaku” won the “Platinum Award” in the Jyunmai Daiginjyo division!! Continuing from IWC, we are most grateful from our hearts to receive high recognition at sake contests overseas. This contest is officially certified by the France government and is a sake competition that is held in France, operated by the French for the French people. For other sake competitions held around the world including IWC, there are none that have all foreign judges, but this Kura Master is a very valuable contest because it is only judged by French. I can’t help but express my joy that it’s incredible that out of all places in the world that this kind of sake competition was held in France that is traditionally known as a wine producer, and that sake is being accepted at many countries as a world liquor. In this wonderful age when we have “Joy of Sake” which is well known in the U.S. and sake being watched around the world, I would like to continue to surely offer the highest level of sake to the world. I feel it has become an age when you may hear the voices of “kanpai” from around the world! For sake that is Japan’s traditional culture to become more popular in Japan and to be recognized around the world, I will continue to work hard as one of Japan’s brewmaster!!


酒豪大陸「フランス初の日本酒審査会」

フランスで今年初めて開催された日本酒審査会「KURA MASTER– le grand concours de sake japonais de Paris 2017」において、南部美人「心白」が純米大吟醸部門で見事「プラチナ賞」を受賞しました!!IWCに続き、海外での日本酒コンテストで高い評価をいただけたことを、心から光栄に思います。

このコンテストはフランス政府が正式に認定したものであり、フランスの地における、フランス人によるフランス人のための日本酒コンクールです。ほかの世界の日本酒のコンクールはIWCはじめ、外国人だけでの審査はありませんが、このKURA MASTERはフランス人だけで審査をするという非常に貴重なコンテストになります。

世界中で、しかもワインの伝統的な産地でもあるフランスで、このような日本酒の審査会が開かれること自体がすごいことで、それだけ日本酒は世界の酒として、様々な国で認められ始めている事がうれしくてたまりません。

アメリカでは歴史のある「JOY OF SAKE」もあり、世界中が日本酒を見てくれているこの素晴らしい時代に、日本の酒のレベルの高さをしっかりと世界にこれからも伝えて行ければと思います。

まさに世界中から「カンパイ」の声が聞こえてきそうな時代になりました!日本の伝統文化である日本酒がさらに日本で、そして世界で評価されるために、これからも日本の蔵元として頑張っていきたいと思います!!

■KURA MASTERホームページ
http://kuramaster.com/ja/concours/comite-2017/
#FranceSakeCompetition #KURAmaster #alljapannews #joyofsake #sake

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Building a new era of sushi culture in the capital, Washington DC

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By Aya Ota

Washington DC is the nation’s capital, and the center of international politics. In such a city where top-ranked people from all over the world gather, there is a restaurant which offers traditional Edomae style sushi, and wows gourmet customers. It is “Sushi Ogawa”, which is highly appraised by numerous media outlets since its opening in February of 2016, as a place where you can have top-class sushi of not only DC, but of the whole US.

Minoru Ogawa, the owner/chef, was born and raised in a sushi artisan family where his father and older brother were both sushi chefs. He is a veteran of a 40-year career as a sushi chef. He went to Washington DC in 1986 to open a branch of a prominent high-end Japanese restaurant in Hirakawa—cho (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo). The time was in the middle of bubble economy era, and he was demonstrating his great skills daily in front of Japanese politicians and government officials who were visiting DC. After that, he went back to Japan, and went back to the US in 2006 as a master sushi chef of Mandarin Oriental Group. While managing their sushi division of the entire US, he entertained their customers with his creative and gorgeous presentations of sushi.

After that, after returning home for the second time, independence in 2013. "Sushi Capitol" opened in Capitol Hill district of Washington DC.

In Sushi Capitol, in addition to an Omakase-style sushi menu, many a-la-carte items such as sushi rolls, karaage, and tempura are also served.

 There is no mistake in regarding Mr. Ogawa as one of the history-making pioneers in the past transition of Japanese cuisine popularization in the US. I cannot help but noticing the arrival of a new era of Japanese cuisine in the US, seeing the opening of this long-awaited authentic Edomae style sushi restaurant in DC by such a pioneer, Ogawa, named under his own. He explains the reason for the decision to open this restaurant this time as follows: “I was convinced that American customers had grown to appreciate authenticity more.”

In this restaurant, only Omakase-style dishes are served. Chef Ogawa wants customers to enjoy just sushi to the fullest. The typical course consists of 3 appetizers, sashimi, 10 pieces of Nigiri, soup and a dessert. No other typical Japanese dishes such as California rolls, Karaage, Udon, etc. are served. The seafood ingredients are Japan-caught, and air-transported daily. He is very particular about the quality and freshness of the ingredients, and uses 3 different distributors. Each ingredient is prepared in the most appropriate way. He makes sushi rice with the utmost care, generously using high-quality rice, vinegar, and salt. He also serves sushi with freshly-ground wasabi and house-made Nikiri-shoyuwith perfect timing.

Chef Ogawa’s thoughts are represented also in the restaurant location and interior designs. It is built in a quiet residential area where many foreign ambassadors reside, but is not considered to be very convenient. People gather purely just to taste good sushi. The approach to the entrance from the street, the corridor that stretches straight from the entrance door, the counter seats that are divided from other spaces, etc. are hidden from outside, and appear somewhat mysterious. The sushi eating experience at “Sushi Ogawa” feels like a series of sacred rituals.

Ungreedy Ogawa says, “I just keep making tasty sushi seriously and diligently” It is surprising that they can offer this authentic quality sushi omakase starting as low as less than $100. It is easy to understand that 50% of their customers are repeaters. They collect customers only by word of mouth, but no advertisement. When “Sushi Capitol” opened in 2013, it took half a year to get on the right direction. However, “Sushi Ogawa” took only 3 weeks to start filling the restaurant with reservations.

Due to Sushi Ogawa’s success, the coming of a few more authentic Edomae sushi restaurants in Washington DC are in progress. Their second restaurant is also in progress by request. I would like you to please visit “Sushi Ogawa” that will likely keep making histories in the Capital, Washington DC.


首都ワシントンDCで鮨の新時代を築

アメリカの首都で国際政治の中心地、ワシントンDC。世界各国から政財界の大物が集まるこの場所で、正統派の江戸前鮨を提供し、食通の客をうならせる店がある。『鮨 小川』——2016年2月に開店以来、数々のメディアから、“ワシントンDC内のみならず全米トップクラスの鮨を食べられる”と、賞賛を浴びている。

オーナー兼料理長の小川稔氏は、父親も兄も鮨職人という家系に生まれ育ち、鮨職人歴も40年以上という大ベテランだ。鮨職人として最初にワシントンDCへやってきたのが1986年、平河町にある屈指の高級料亭の出店に伴ってのこと。当時はバブル経済の真っ只中で、日本からワシントンDCを訪れる政治家や官庁関係者を相手に、日々腕を振るった。いったん帰国後、マンダリン・オリエンタル・グループのマスター鮨シェフとして2006年に再渡米、全米の鮨部門を統括。創意工夫にあふれた華やかな鮨で客を楽しませた。その後、二度目の帰国を経て、2013年に独立、ワシントンDCのキャピトルヒル地区に『Sushi Capitol』を開店。ここでは、おまかせ鮨を提供しつつも、巻物や唐揚げ・天ぷらなどの前菜も数多く用意している。
 
間違いなく、小川氏は、米国での日本食普及の変遷を見て、その歴史を作ってきた一人と言っていいだろう。その小川氏が、満を持して、自身の名前を冠につけた正統派の江戸前鮨店をこの地に開店したことで、日本食の新時代が訪れたことを認識せざるを得ない。「アメリカ人客がより本物志向になったのを実感したから」——小川氏は同店開店理由を語る。

「鮨だけを心ゆくまで堪能してほしい」という小川氏の想いから、メニューはおまかせのみ。前菜3種盛り合わせ、刺身、にぎり鮨10巻、お吸い物、デザートという構成だ。カリフォルニアロールのような巻物や、唐揚げ、うどんといった、ほかのメニューは一切提供していない。魚介類は、日本産の天然魚を毎日空輸で取り寄せる。品質の高さと鮮度にこだわり、業者を3社使うほどのこだわりようで、それぞれのネタに最適な下ごしらえを施す。コメはもちろん、酢や塩に至るまで、高品質な日本産食材を惜しげもなく使い、細心の注意を払いコメを作る。そして、おろし立ての本わさびと手作りの煮きり醤油を適量つけ、絶妙な間合いで鮨を出してくれる。

小川氏の想いは、店の立地や内装にも現れている。店は、各国大使が多く住む閑静な住宅街にひっそりと佇み、決して便利とは言えない立地。純粋に、同店で鮨を食べたいという目的のためだけに客がやってくる。歩道から入口までのアプローチ、扉を開けてからまっすぐ伸びる廊下、他の空間とは仕切られたカウンター席……店内の様子は外から伺い知ることはできず、どこか秘密めいた印象がある。『鮨 小川』で鮨を食べる体験は、まるで一連の神聖な儀式のようにすら感じられる。

「美味しい鮨をまじめにコツコツ作っているだけ」と小川氏は欲がない。これだけ本格的な内容にも関わらず、100ドルという値段設定にも驚かされる。客の50%がリピーターということも納得だ。一切宣伝をせず、集客は口コミだけ。2013年に『Sushi Capitol』開店したときには、火が付くまでに半年かかったという。『鮨 小川』開店時は、3週間足らずで予約客で埋まるようになったという。
 
同店の成功を受け、今後、ワシントンDCには、正統派江戸前店の出店がいくつか進行しているという。同店もまた、2号店の開店を依頼され準備中という。今後も、首都ワシントンDCで新しい歴史を刻んでいくであろう『鮨 小川』、ぜひ足を運んでみてほしい。



Sushi Ogawa
2100 Connecticut Avenue NW #100
Washington, DC 20008
Tel: 202-813-9715
http://sushiogawa.com

Lunch Monday-Friday  12-2:30PM
Monday-Saturday  5 – 10:30PM
Closed on Sunday
#alljapannews #ogawa #sushi #washingtonDC

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Ramen and sushi by a Sri Lankan chef

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By Keiko Fukuda

“I have a recent favorite ramen restaurant. You can have sushi with fresh ingredients there too,” said a friend of mine. It is Ramen Spott in Torrance. My friend continued, “I heard that their owner/chef is not Japanese, but the taste is authentic.” I got interested even more.

I checked their website. Surprisingly, there are 18 different kinds of ramen dishes. The fabulous lineup that contains tonkotsu, yuzu-shio, veggie, and nira-moyashi makes you hungry. I got an appointment to interview the owner/chef, Duke Sanji on a later day. He said, “There were only 10 (kinds of ramen dishes) when I opened the restaurant 2 years ago. The current number has been reached after receiving requests from the customers. New items were developed and added to the menu one by one.” Mr. Sanji is from Sri Lanka. After graduating from college, he got a diploma from a cooking school. He then worked at the Hilton Hotel in Colombo, Sri Lanka as a sushi chef. Then, he gained authentic Japanese cuisine experience for 3 years, and then worked at various hotels as a chef in Kuwait, Dubai, etc.

After working as a head chef at a Japanese restaurant in Los Angeles, he opened Sushi Duke in 2006 in Hermosa Beach, and then in Redondo Beach. He made his restaurants grow to be popular places filled with many regular customers with his skills in cooking that reflect his long experience. However, the Redondo Beach restaurant was forced to close due to a fire in the neighborhood. After that, he opened a ramen specialty restaurant called Ramen Spott in Torrance near the beach. He then decided to run only this one restaurant, Ramen Spott, and added a sushi menu. When you think of it, it seems like there are some, but there are actually not really any Japanese restaurants where you can enjoy both ramen and sushi at the same place.

As introduced earlier in this article, there are 18 different ramen dishes on the menu. Sanji says, “Yuzu Shio and Nira Moyashi are particularly popular among Japanese customers, and Tonkotsu Black Garlic is also popular. I also want to recommend Seafood Shio, Spicy Miso, and Coconut ramen.” So many recommendations make it difficult to choose, but their lunch time special can be a happy solution. A set that includes a ramen of your choice with salad and fried rice is $7.50. You may be able to find your favorite ramen by trying a different ramen in the set each time you visit for lunch. There is an even better deal, which is $5 ramen as a lunch time special. However, for this deal, you can choose only one kind of ramen set as the weekly special.

On a later day, I visited again during lunch time. I ordered a lunch time special that consisted of basic shoyu ramen. It was a set menu that came with very satisfying fried rice and salad with original dressing. The ramen noodles matched perfectly with the soup. The tasty cooked egg topping gave a good impression.

Ramen is not everything here. You should really try their sushi. As mentioned earlier, Sanji started as a sushi chef. He created the sushi menu with his own eyes and tastes. He serves a wide variety of sushi dishes with fresh ingredients. The signature rolls with names like Sanji Beach, Sanji Special, etc. are also receiving good reviews.

I asked Sanji what his motto is. He said, “I want to serve the kind of Japanese food that is not easy to get here in the US. I also want to cook things that I want to eat myself.” I must say that with such a case in which you can enjoy delicious Japanese cuisine by a non-Japanese chef, you can really say that Japanese cuisine has truly become global.


スリランカ人シェフが手がけるラーメンと寿司

「最近、お気に入りのラーメン屋さんがある。新鮮なネタの寿司も食べられる」と友人が教えてくれた。トーランスにあるラーメンスポットだ。友人は続けて「オーナーシェフは日本人ではないらしいが、本格的な味」と言った。ますます興味を引かれた。

ウェブサイトを見ると、ラーメンの種類、実に18。とんこつからゆず塩、ベジー、ニラもやしと見ているだけで食欲をそそるラインナップだ。後日、取材のアポを取り付けて話を聞いたオーナーシェフのデューク・サンジさんによると、「2年前に店を開けた時は(ラーメンの種類は)10種だった。その後、お客さんの要望を受けて、次々にメニューを開発、現在の数にまで増えた」ということだ。

サンジさんはスリランカ生まれ。大学卒業後に料理学校を修了し、スリランカ、コロンボにあるヒルトンホテルに寿司シェフとして就職した。さらに、本場、日本で3年間、和食の経験を積んだ後に、クウェート、ドバイをはじめとする各地のホテルを料理人として渡り歩いた。

アメリカ、ロサンゼルスでも日本食の店でヘッドシェフを務めた後に、2006年、ハモサビーチ、続いてレドンドビーチにスシ・デュークを開店した。シェフとしての長年の経験を生かした料理で、常連を中心に賑わう店に成長。しかし、近隣店舗による火事の延焼で、レドンドビーチの店の休業を余儀なくされた。その後、ビーチに近いトーランスでラーメン店としてラーメンスポットをオープン。そして、経営する店をラーメンスポット1店に絞り、寿司をメニューに加えることにしたそうだ。考えてみれば、日本食の店でラーメンと寿司の両方を味わえる所はありそうでほとんど思い浮かばない。

ラーメンは前述のように18種類揃う。「日本人のお客さんにはゆず塩やニラもやしが人気。とんこつ・ブラックガーリックもよく出ます。シーフード、スパイシー味噌、ココナッツラーメンもおすすめです」とサンジさん。そこまで言われると迷ってしまうが、そういう時に嬉しいのがランチタイム・スペシャルだ。好きなラーメンとサラダとチャーハンがセットになって、7ドル50セント。何度かランチタイムに訪れて、様々なラーメンを試すことで、自分好みの味を発見できるかもしれない。さらに破格なスペシャルとして、ランチタイムのみ、5ドルのラーメンも登場。ただし、こちらは週替わりでどれか1種類のラーメンとなる。

後日、ランチタイムに同店を訪れた。ベーシックな醤油ラーメンのランチタイム・スペシャルをオーダー。満足感が高いチャーハンにオリジナルドレッシングがかかったサラダ、そして麺とスープが絶妙に絡まったラーメンがセットになっている。味が染みた煮卵が印象的だ。

そして、ラーメンだけでは終わらない。ここで試すべきは寿司だ。寿司シェフからスタートし、自分の目とセンスで選んだ新鮮な食材で顧客に提供される寿司のメニューもまた豊富。サンジビーチ、サンジスペシャルと名前が付いたシグネチャーロールの評判も高い。

サンジさんに料理人としてのモットーを聞くと、「ここアメリカでなかなか食べられない日本食を出したいですね。それに何よりも自分で食べたいと思える料理を作りたい」と答えた。このように日本人以外のシェフによる美味しい日本食が食べられるようになってこそ、日本食が真にグローバルな存在になったと言えるのではないだろうか。



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