About me
I've been cooking for family and friends for nearly 40 years. I started working in the family garden in L.A. even before I started to cook and learned the value of composting and mulching around the same time as slicing and dicing. Family barbecues - wood, not charcoal - were primarily my responsibility from around age 10 and I've continued the process of growth as a chef and as an organic gardener. I especially like cooking at camps (Yeah, Scouting!) and for parties. Mexican dishes are a particular love, stemming from my upbringing in East L.A, Anyone wanting to share a party with enchiladas, sashimi, and barbecued pork ribs should get in touch!
Cooking Influences
Cooking for me started with my mom, who was Japanese born but was transplanted to the U.S. and married my Nisei father. We ate lots of rice and miso soup, but fermented our own natto, pounded mochi, pickled tsukemono, and curdled tofu. I thought that this was standard Japanese fare and was surprised when I found out that nobody in Japan does this (without getting paid to do it). Coming from a family of farmers who only became city-dwellers after the big war, it makes perfect sense. But making the food from the source was where I learned to care about the ingredients and the process. Slow food, to me, is the only way. I've never tried to cook professionally, but I rarely copy a recipe and just use my imagination to create what I want to eat. My focus is on the local and seasonal fare, the people who will be eating, the occasion, and creating a threefold experience: something familiar, something unexpected but not unknown, and something unimagined.
Japan Chef
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