Japan Eats

This week on Japan Eats, host Akiko Katayama is joined in the studio by Andy Moran, manager at Japan Premium Beef, a specialty butcher shop in New York City that sells both imported Japanese Wagyu and domestic Wagyu raised on its own farm in Oregon. Tune is as they debunk some popular myths about Wagyu, and find out what makes this beef so special.

On this week's episode of Japan Eats, host Akiko Katayama is joined by Kenji Ichishima, owner of the Ichishima Sake Brewery. Born and raised in Shibata City, Kenji Ichishima grew up around the brewery that had been run by his forefathers for generations. Encouraged by his grandfather, who had also spent time outside of Japan, Kenji came to the United States and spent time in Atlanta, Georgia and Albany, New York. His time in America rekindled Kenji's awareness of his identity and reminded him of the importance of his family business, and after returning to Japan he decided to enter the sake industry. Since becoming President of Ichishima Shuzo, he has achieved success in developing new products, improving quality, reducing inefficiencies, and discontinuing low-profit business components such as beer wholesaling. In addition to managing his brewery, Kenji is also deeply involved in the larger world of sake. As chairperson of the public relations committee of the Niigata Brewer's Association, he has run the N

This week on Japan Eats, host Akiko Katayama is joined in the studio by Stephen Globus, a native New Yorker who has long been involved with cultural fusion and interchange between Japan and the United States. Through the Globus Washitsu organization, Stephen and his brothers have sponsored events at various eminent institutions including the Japan Society, the Asia Society, and many other NYC locations. The scope of these events includes dance, theater, cinema, art, craft, tea ceremony, and performance groups. Wabi-sabi represents Japanese aesthetics and a Japanese world view centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of beauty that is "imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete."

This week on Japan Eats, Akiko is joined by sake expert Chizuko Niikawa-Helton. Ms. Niikawa, grew up on the Temple grounds of the Zen Buddhist Temple Gihozan Hosho Ji, located in the finest Rice and Sake producing prefecture of Japan, Akita. chizAfter graduating, Takushoku University and with additional studies at Esmond Japon, a fashion college. Ms. Niikawa embarked on a career in fashion as a fashion designer for over ten years. With her firm grounding in balance, and form, through a decade of fashion design Ms. Niikawa began to awaken to her deep appreciation, and love of the ancient art of Sake, and the pleasures and complexities it possesses. She began to feel that Sake had life, and form, and texture. She remembered her childhood, and her roots, she remembered the incredible rice, and Sake that her famous prefecture of Akita was known for and she began to appreciate of how closely Sake in form, as well as in balance was a living thing and that it needed to be understood and discussed in its purest, simp

On this week's episode of Japan Eats, host Akiko Katayama is joined in the studio by Keizo Shimamoto, creator of the Original Ramen Burger. He has worked for Ivan Orkin and the mini ramen chain Bassanova, all while documenting his love affair with noodles on his blog, GO RAMEN! Keizo is also the subject of the short film Ramen Dreams, a chronicle of his extraordinary passion for ramen.

On this week's episode of Japan Eats, Akiko is joined in the studio by Ruri Kippenbrock, the founder of wuhao newyork Inc. The company specializes in hand-made tenugui, Japanese cotton towels. These towels are not only for wiping your hands but also have a number of traditional uses and applications, not to mention overall well-being – tune in to learn more!

On this week's episode of Japan Eats, Akiko is joined in the studio by Robby Cook, the executive sushi chef of Morimoto in New York. Robby is also the co-author the of new book The Complete Guide to Sushi & Sashimi, which contains tips and techniques on how to properly create and indulge in sushi and sashimi at home.

On this week’s episode of Japan Eats, Akiko is joined in the studio by Todd Bellomy, brewer and co-founder of Dovetail Sake, Massachusetts’ first sake brewery. Prior to opening Dovetail, Bellomy worked in the American craft beer industry, as a chef, and even as a sword-making apprentice in the Saitama Prefecture of Japan. Tune in to hear all about his life as a sake brewer. “Our philosophy is, we want people to drink it because it’s delicious, and not because it’s sake…we look to traditional Japanese brewing, but we’re not limited by that.” [18:00] – Todd Bellomy  

On this week’s episode of Japan Eats, Akiko is joined in the studio by Yuji Haraguchi, owner of the restaurants Okonomi and YUJI Ramen. By day, Okonomi serves traditional Japanese ichiju-sansai set meals for breakfast and lunch. In the evenings, Okonomi becomes YUJI Ramen, and offers an à la carte menu of seafood-rich ramen and mazemen. Haraguchi is currently working to open Osakana, a Japanese-style fish market dedicated to providing high-quality, local, and seasonal seafood to Brooklyn and beyond. Osakana will also offer cooking demonstrations and classes – for both beginners and experts – to share knowledge on how to appreciate local seafood. “Eat fish, live longer.” [12:20] – Yuji Haraguchi  

On this week’s episode of Japan Eats, host Akiko Katayama welcomes guest Rona Tison, the senior vice president of corporate relations at ITO EN, to discuss making green tea a true part of American culture. Tison has extensive experience in the tea industry and has received Green Tea Certification from ITO EN. Prior to joining ITO EN, Tison worked extensively in the hotel and service industry where she served as director of operations at the W Hotels The Court and The Tuscany, executive vice president at the lifestyle store Felissimo and rooms divisional manager at Le Parker Meridian, all in New York. “Part of the beauty about tea is also sharing with friends. You can enjoy it in solitude, a moment to relax and have a cup of tea, or you can entertain and share great conversations. All those activities are great, I think, in terms of overall health.” [23:00] *** Listeners, if you are interested in learning tea ceremony (which helps you to be calm and focused like meditation!) in New York City, check this out

On today’s episode of Japan Eats, host Akiko Katayama welcomes guest Gaku Shibata, owner of the restaurants Azasu and Yoppari in New York’s Lower East Side. They discuss Japanese gastropubs (izakaya), cup sake, and feeding sumo wrestlers.  

After discovering premium sake for the first time in 2005, today’s guest Tim Sullivan went on to found UrbanSake.com, which is now America’s longest-running sake website. Just two years later, he was awarded the title of “Sake Samurai” by the Japan Sake Brewer’s Association in recognition of his work promoting sake outside of Japan. Sullivan is now an instructor for the Sake School of America, and works as the International Brand Ambassador for the Hakkaisan Sake Brewery to spread sake culture both at home and around the world. “My quality of life has gone up so much because I’m able to work in the sake industry, something I love.” [12:45] – Tim Sullivan

Chef Michael Anthony, Executive Chef of Gramercy Tavern and Untitled of the Union Square Hospitality Group talks with Japan Eats host Akiko Katayama about living in Tokyo right after graduating from college. The move changed the course of his life and career. Tune in to hear how Michael’s experience in Japan stayed with him even as he moved to France and back to the U.S.    > #### “That was one of those moments that those decisions determined the course that my life would take.” [20:30] “In the kitchen you have to appeal to ppl on a personal level if you want to share ideas and work together as a team.” [24:30] –Chef Michael Anthony on Japan Eats

Over his 25­‐year career, Chef Takashi Yagihashi has been lauded by consumers and critics alike for his exquisite ways of melding contemporary French, Asian, and American cuisine, and today he is in studio with Akiko Katayama for a brand new episode of Japan Eats. A native of Mito, Japan, the self-taught Yagihashi was working in a local restaurant when the owner asked him to relocate to the States and work for him there; over the next several years, the young chef worked his way up the culinary ladder throughout Chicago where he has most recently helmed the Slurping Turtle restaurant and appeared on Bravo’s Top Chef Masters.  Tune in for more on this inspiring chef! Takashi  

John’s interest in cooking began with his curiosity in his grandmother’s expansive garden, learning early about the importance of seasonality, flavor and balance. At age 14, John moved to South Korea for three years where he not only became fluent in Korean, but truly embraced Asian flavors, language and spirits. After nearly two decades running a successful law practice and firm in Manhattan, John decided to pursue his real passion-a new culinary career at the French Culinary Institute (FCI) in New York where he graduated first in his class. It was at FCI that John met Dave Arnold, a well-respected renegade of modernist cuisine. Dave encouraged John to stage at Chef Wylie Dufresne’s wd-50. After staging for several years, he and was offered the new position as part of Research and Development at wd-50 before leaving in October, 2011 to truly take his skills and craft to a new frontier. In 2010, John and Dianna (his wife) purchased a home in Columbia County, New York, in the heart of the Hudson Valley and bou

Tune in to Japan Eats as host Akiko Katayama is in studio with Chef Marco Moreira. Brazilian-born chef Marco Moreira arrived in New York City in 1982 eager to explore the city and immerse himself in an exciting, multi-ethnic culinary scene.  Through an inspired twist of fate, he ended up training as a sushi chef at the very beginning of the sushi craze.  From the start, he proved his skill in this highly technical profession and quickly earned acclaim as one of the most talented sushi chefs in New York City.  In 1986, he launched Marco Polo Sushi Catering, and soon afterwards he was hired to implement the sushi program at Dean & Deluca. With the skills and experience in the Manhattan restaurant scene, Marco devoted himself to turning Marco Polo Sushi Caterers into a full-service company (renamed Marco Polo Caterers) that catered to select clients in New York City and throughout the tri-state area.  At the same time Marco pursued other positions at Bouley, the Quilted Giraffe, and as chef de cuisine at The

Japan Eats is brand new this week with host Akiko Katayama in studio with food critic and author, Robert Sietsema.  Presently editor for Eater, Robert shares how he transitioned from the rock and roll scene to food writing and adds his unique view of Japanese restaurants in New York City. Initially focusing on the best ethnic eats in the city, Robert dissects what the term means to him and how he finds some of the best unknown restaurants.  Akiko highlights some of Robert’s past articles and talks the evolution of Japanese food and community throughout the big apple plus his favorite places to eat! “The popularity of sushi here has proceeded in such a way that you can spend as much as three to five-hundred dollars!” [32:15] –Robert Sietsema on Japan Eats  

Japan Eats returns for 2016 with none other than the man who wrote the book on science and cooking, Harold McGee. His career defining book, On Food & Cooking, has been referenced as a cooking bible for a generation of forward thinking chefs and culinary professionals. Discover how Harold was inspired to make a career of researching and writing about what happens when we cook, prepare and consume food, not to mention Japanese food! Harold is largely responsible for the molecular gastronomy/modernist cuisine movement and is cited as a major influence from the likes of Heston Blumenthal, Alton Brown and Dave Arnold. Harold’s passion for gastronomic knowledge has changed the way we eat food in this country, and his journey is as inspiring as his work, so tune in for a great show!

Known as “The Sake Guy,” and “The Sake Evangelist,” John Gauntner is recognized as the world’s leading non-Japanese sake expert and this week he joins in studio for the season wrap-up of Japan Eats.  He chats with host Akiko Katayama about his residency in Japan since 1988, he (necessarily) both speaks and reads Japanese fluently, and is well known in the sake industry as the window to making sake understandable and popular outside of Japan.  Tune in for a chat on all things sake and more!

Wylie Dufresne is in studio with Akiko this week for an intriguing episode of Japan Eats!  Hinting at his new project opening in the new year, Wylie explains how he found himself in the restaurant industry and why working in the industry is likened to playing a team sport.  What does Wylie think about being considered a predominant figure in the modernist/molecular gastronomy food realm? What’s his brainstorming process like?  Tune in for a great discussion on finding inspiration from all around, his Japanese influences (like dashi), plus the duo dissect some of Wylie’s notable dishes. > #### “Often times we will try to take things people are familiar with and play with it, have fun with it.” [14:30] –Wylie Dufresne on Japan Eats