Advertise on podcast: Japan Eats!

Our guest is Mike Satinover, the chef/owner of Akahoshi Ramen in Chicago, which opened in November 2023. Mike joined us on Episode 280 in November 2022 and shared his fascinating story of how a young man who grew up in Chicago got into Japanese culture, ended up living in Japan, and discovered the profound world of ramen. Among ramen connoisseurs and aficionados, Mike has been known as Ramen Lord on Reddit and Instagram. He has been generously sharing valuable knowledge and educating whoever wants to learn about ramen so that they don’t have to find out how to make a good bowl on their own. Ramen has become very popular in the U.S. in the last two decades or so, arguably becoming a part of American food culture. Akahoshi Ramen has been gaining huge attention since its opening and represents the potential of ramen as a global cuisine beyond a Japanese traditional noodle dish. On this episode, we will discuss how Mike got into ramen, why he decided to quit his successful job as a market research analyst to open a ramen shop, the challenges he has faced in opening and running a ramen shop in Chicago, the soulful ramen he offers at Akahoshi Ramen and much, much more!!!

Our guest is Kazuhiro Sakurai, the 4th generation and CEO of Asahi Shuzo, the maker of Dassai sake. Dassai is the biggest export brand of Japanese sake. Kazuhiro joined us on Episode 233 in July 2021 and shared the unique sake-making philosophy of the company, as well as why Dassai became so popular globally. In September 2023, Asahi Shuzo opened its first overseas brewery Dassai Blue in upstate New York. But it is not another brewery producing the same sake as in Japan to save costs. Dassai Blue aims to exceed its parent brewery in Japan. On this episode, we will discuss why the company decided to open a brewery in New York, the goal of Dassai Blue, the special ingredients Dassai Blue uses to express the local terroir, its collaboration with the Culinary Institute of America, and much, much more!!!

Our guest today is David Yoshitomo Utterback, the chef/owner of Yoshitomo in Omaha, Nebraska. Japanese sushi has become a big part of American food culture. The presence of many great non-Japanese sushi chefs in the U.S. proves that sushi does not belong only to Japan. These chefs serve to inspire the tradition and help push it further. David is a classic example of one of these chefs. He was nominated for Best Chef: Midwest by the James Beard Foundation in 2023, and this year, his restaurant Yoshitomo has been nominated for the 2024 Outstanding Restaurant Award by the Foundation as a semifinalist (the results of this competition will be announced on June 10th in Chicago). Also, the Washington Post named Yoshitomo one of America’s best sushi restaurants in December 2023. On this episode, we will discuss how David got into the world of sushi, how he studied sushi-making in Omaha, Nebraska (where beef is king), his original sushi that merges the tradition and American-style umami, his collaborations with Japanese sushi chefs, and much, much more!!! Photo courtesy of Joshua Foo.

Our guests are Jeff Miller, the chef/owner of Rosella and Bar Miller in the East Village in NYC, and James Dumapit, the executive chef at Bar Miller. They both worked at Uchiko in Austin, Texas, which is one of the most influential sushi restaurants in America. In 2017, Jeff opened Mayanoki, the first sustainable sushi restaurant in New York, with his business partner TJ Provenzano. They joined us on Episode 129 to discuss their unique philosophy. Since then, their business evolved into Rosella, which earned many accolades and was named one of the Best New Restaurants in America by Esquire Magazine in 2021. James joined Rosella shortly after its opening. In September 2023, the team opened Bar Miller, the 8-seat Omakase-only sushi bar where James leads the entire sushi bar with a pleasant energy and offers exciting culinary discoveries. Along with the expansion of the team’s business, Jeff has been deepening his knowledge and experience of serving sustainable sushi. On this episode, we will discuss the meaning and importance of sustainable sushi, the overlooked delicious and sustainable seafood you should try, the challenges and advantages of running sustainable sushi restaurants, and much, much more!!! Photo courtesy of Melissa Hom.

Our guest today is Isao Yoshimura, a private chef based in New York. Isao grew up in the countryside of Japan and came to New York in 1996 where he jumped into the restaurant industry, when authentic Japanese restaurants were still few and far between. His approach to Japanese cuisine is traditional, but his work reflects his free, creative adaptive mindset. For example, he fishes and grows produce by himself to achieve the best taste and flavors he wants to offer to his clients. In this episode, we will discuss how a young man from Japan became a private sushi chef in New York, his unique philosophy of cooking authentic Japanese food, the joy and challenges in his life as a private chef in America, and much, much more!!! 

Our guest is Victor Rivera who is the Head Chef at The Bazaar by Jose Andres in New York City. Before Victor became the Head Chef at The Bazaar, he cooked Japanese food in notable restaurants, including Masa in New York City, which has 3 Michelin stars. Also, he has a very strong culinary background in French with his experiences at top restaurants such as Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Edition and Le Bernardin. At the Bazaar in New York City, Victor uniquely incorporates traditional Spanish cuisine and Japanese cuisine in the style of Spanish tapas. He marries the seemingly opposite food cultures seamlessly and creates synergies. In this episode, we will discuss how Victor got into cooking and in particular Japanese cuisine, what is special about Japanese food for him, the unique concept of marrying Spanish and Japanese cuisine, how Victor executes it so well, and much, much more!!! *** THE NOTO PENINSULA EARTHQUAKE DISASTER RELIEF As you may know, a major earthquake struck Japan's Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture on January 1st. The death toll keeps climbing and the damage to the beautiful region is tremendous. Importantly, 10 of the 11 sake breweries in the Noto Peninsula were completely or partially destroyed. So if you can, please donate through reliable organizations including: The Japanese Red Cross https://www.jrc.or.jp/english/relief/2024NotoPeninsulaEarthquake.html Peace Winds America: A fundraiser by US-Japan Foundation/US-Japan Leadership Program https://www.globalgiving.org/fundraisers/49472/ 　 The Ishikawa Sake Brewers Association https://www.ishikawa-sake.jp/index.php　 (the donation account details) https://www.ishikawa-sake.jp/images/97-1.pdf)

Our guest is Yohan Ourliac, the chef/owner of the Neapolitan pizza food truck “Pizza Bella'' located in Iizuka City, Fukuoka Prefecture in the southern part of Japan. Yohan is originally from France and worked in Australia, Canada, Korea, eventually arriving in Japan eight years ago, where he found his calling of making great pizza for his customers, many of whom became his friends. In this episode, we will discuss why a young Frenchman decided to move to Japan and become a pizzaiolo, how he started and runs the successful food truck business in a foreign land, how he built a network of close friends in Japan, and much, much more!!!

Our guest is Yoshiki Yukimachi, the 6th generation brewmaster of Takeno Brewery in Kyoto. Founded in 1947, Takeno Brewery is known for its high-quality sake as well as its innovative mindset. Yoshiki’s father, Yoshihei Yukimachi, initiated the transformation of the brewery’s strategy and introduced unique products under the Kurabu brand, which features ancient sake rice. Also, Yoshiki has produced creative products and put Takeno Brewery’s name on the map in the global market. Recently, the domestic Japanese sake market has been shrinking due to a number of reasons, including the aging population in Japan and the increase in competing products. Despite this, sake exports have been record-high in recent years, thanks to the efforts and inventive mindsets of sake producers like Takeno Brewery. In this episode, we will discuss Takeno Brewery’s unique sake-making philosophy, the award-winning sake that the brewery makes with rare sake rice varieties, the pioneering ways of tasting sake that Takeno Brewery offers at its sake bar, how Yoshiki merges deep traditions and innovative ideas in his products, and much, much more!!!

Our guests are Brandon Doughan and Brian Polen, co-owners of Brooklyn Kura, the very first sake brewery in New York, which opened in 2017 at Industry City in Brooklyn, New York. Brandon and Brian joined us on episode #105 in December 2017 and episode #178 in November 2018, where they discussed the unique concept of Brooklyn Kura and how they naturally incorporated the spirit of traditional sake-making into their craft-style sake. Since then, Brooklyn Kura has been growing exponentially, and you may have seen its sake labels at Japanese and non-Japanese restaurants and local retailers. Brian and Brandon join us today to discuss their newly expanded sake brewery, along with what has and hasn't changed about their sake production since they opened the brewery 6 years ago. They also discuss their collaborations with Japanese sake breweries, including the premier brand Hakkaisan, the future of the American craft sake industry, and much, much more!!!

Our guest is Kentaro Tsurushima, the President of Canvas Creative Group based in New York. He consults for Japanese food businesses with 20 years of experience in the field under his belt. Today’s topic is B Kyu Gourmet, or B-Class Gourmet. B Kyu Gourmet means B-rank dining experience, but it does not mean second-class food at all. Japanese people fondly use the term to celebrate less fancy but delicious food that you can casually enjoy on a daily basis. In this episode, we will discuss what B Kyu Gourmet is, B Kyu Gourmet dishes you must try, the annual competition to celebrate regional cuisines inspired by B Kyu Gourmet, how universally we can appreciate B Kyu Gourmet, and much, much more!!!

Our guest today is Yuu Shimano who is the chef/owner of Restaurant Yuu in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, which opened in May 2023. Yuu joined us in Episode #197 way back in 2020 when he was the executive chef at Mifune, a creative Japanese restaurant in Midtown, Manhattan, to discuss his unique culinary career. For instance, Yuu worked as the saucier at Guy Savoy in Paris, which had 3 Michelin stars. During the pandemic, Yuu actively supported essential workers by raising funds and making delicious meals for them. His hard work came to fruition and opened his own restaurant Restaurant Yuu. Within 6 months of the opening, Yuu just earned his first Michelin star! In this episode, we will discuss the fascinating concept of Restaurant Yuu, the challenges he came across in opening and running his own restaurant, how he built a cohesive, highly talented team, the unique service style at Restaurant Yuu, and much, much, much more!

Our guest is Shuichi Kotani, a New York-based master soba chef with over 25 years of experience. After working at prestigious restaurants in Tokyo, including Gonpachi and the Michelin-starred Edo Soba Hosokawa, he came to New York in 2008 and successfully served as the executive chef at Soba Totto in Manhattan. In 2012, he founded Worldwide Soba to introduce the profound culture of soba to the world. Since then, he has been crafting soba at events and consulting for restaurants in New York and beyond. He is also a Goodwill Ambassador designated by the Japanese government to promote Japanese food culture overseas and has held various educational events about soba’s health benefits, including seminars at Harvard University. In this episode, we will discuss what soba is, why soba-making is spiritually important for Chef Kotani, various health benefits of soba, the sustainable nature of soba and its possibilities for future food supply, Chef Kotani’s cool new restaurant Uzuki, which opened in Greenpoint, Brooklyn in September 2023 and much, much more!