Japan Eats!

Akiko is joined by Frank Cisneros, a Brooklyn-based bartender who lived and worked in Japan for a year, immersing himself in Japanese cocktail culture. Tune in to hear how learning the intricacies of Japanese bartending helped Cisneros to elevate his craft.

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This week on Japan Eats, host Akiko Katayama is joined by Howie Velie, Associate Dean of Culinary Arts at the Culinary Institute of America, and culinary student Jose Ganem to discuss the school's new Japanese culinary program. The "Advanced Cooking: Japanese Cuisine" curriculum covers Japanese history and culture, along with the ingredients, flavors, textures, and techniques of authentic Japanese cooking.

On the season premiere of Japan Eats, host Akiko Katayama is joined in the studio by Chef Tadashi Ono

Tadashi Ono was born and raised in Tokyo, where he first began chef training, at age sixteen. Inspired by the mentorship of celebrated Japanese chef, ceramicist, and author, Rosanjin, Ono decided to further pursue his culinary career. He moved to Los Angeles in the eighties, cooking at the innovative French-Japanese fusion restaurant Le Petite Chaya and the legendary L'Orangerie. Relocating to New York, he became the executive chef of La Caravelle, one of America's top French restaurants. In 2003, Ono opened his signature restaurant, Matsuri, in the basement of New York’s Maritime Hotel.

Ono also co-authored the cookbook Japanese Hot Pots, and is an accomplished potter and avid student of Japanese food culture.

Our guest is Sachiko Nakamichi who is the co-owner of Beniya Mukayu in Kaga City, Ishikawa Prefecture. Beniya Mukayu is a beautiful boutique hotel located in the famous hot spring area Yamashiro. There are many hotels in the area but Mukayu is truly distinctive. It has earned multiple accolades including the member status of Relais & Châteaux, which is regarded as the best of the best in the world of hospitality. Not only that Mukayu was awarded the welcome trophy by Relais & Châteaux for its outstanding level of service.

But the success did not happen overnight. When Sachiko joined the hotel in 1988, it was a mediocre, mass market-oriented place to stay.

In this episode, we will discuss why Sachiko got involved in the hotel business, how she miraculously transformed the unremarkable hotel to the world class house of hospitality, the concept of the Japanese style hospitality ""Omotenashi"" and much, much more!!!

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David Torchiano, Josh Arak, TJ Provenzano and Jeff Miller, the team from the highly recognized and charming 8- seat Japanese sushi restaurant Mayanoki in Alphabet City, will join me to discuss their efforts to achieve their challenging goals: serving the best sushi and conserve the precious ocean resources.

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