2024 Wa-Sho: Learn. Cook. Eat Japanese! (How to Make an Adorable Kawaii & Well-Balanced Bento Lunch Box) Japanese Friendship GardenNEW

Let’s make a Kawaii Balanced Bento - Japanese Lunch Box! Come and join the Wa-Sho -Learn. Cook. Eat Japanese! team and our special guest, Chef Masayoshi Ozasa from Kyoto! We're excited to show you how to make an adorable kawaii and well-balanced bento lunch box.

In this class, you'll learn how to make a delicious, colorful, and healthy bento, which is a traditional Japanese lunch box. We'll also introduce you to Japanese cooking, culture, and nutrition. Our menu includes kawaii onigiri (Japanese rice ball), simmered vegetables cooked with special dashi, and a Japanese omelet (dashimaki tamago). Chef Masa will guide you through making dashi (soup stock) to make your vegetables and other ingredients extra delicious!

From a young age, Japanese children are taught to appreciate visually appealing meals. Parents often prepare colorful, healthy, and delicious bento lunches with creative touches to delight all the senses. You'll learn how to craft your own bento lunch and we'll share classic bento recipes and simple elements using the concept of 5 colors. "Itadakimasu!" Let's Eat!

Date
Saturday, August 24, 2024

Time
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Price: $30 (children 6-17) | Admission Included
*Please note while parents are welcome to join in, supplies will be for children. Parents are welcome to share. Parents are required to just pay for garden admission or have a JFGM/AHS Membership. Due to space, please limit to 2 parents/guardians.

Location: Upper Garden | Education Center

Register

Special Guest Chef: Masayoshi “Masa” Ozasa
Head Chef, Kyo-Ryori Matsusho, Kameoka, Kyoto, Japan Masa Ozasa is a Japanese chef, culinary educator, a certified wine expert of the Japan Sommelier Association, and a certified educator of the German Wine Academy. Masa is the head chef and 4th generation heir of Kyo-Ryori Matsusho Kyoto cuisine restaurant, located in Kameoka, Kyoto. Masa strives to create dishes at Matsusho that bring out the very best of the seasonal ingredients locally available in the agriculturally rich Kyo-Tamba region. “Kyoto cuisine has a history of over 1200 years. It is said that the average peak career span of a Kyoto chef that carries the tradition is 30 years. Since I was little, I grew up watching my grandfather and father work in the kitchen. And even though I was young, I remember thinking that one day I would follow in their footsteps. I entered this tradition at the age of 19, and 2024 is my 23rd year. I believe that the meaning of my life is to pass on what my great-grandfather, grandfather, father, and myself have built over the last 80 years to the next generation.”

Culinary Background
After graduating from Kyoto Culinary Art College, Masa continued his culinary training for three years at Kinobu, one of the finest traditional restaurants in Kyoto. From 2016 to 2020, he served as a part-time instructor at his alma mater, teaching Kyoto cuisine culture, sake, and wine to approximately 100 students every year. In 2019, Masa began to introduce Kyoto cuisine overseas and has led successful Japanese food events in Rome, Arizona, and San Diego. In the same year, he represented Japanese Sommeliers at the German Wine Association Summer School. He is a certified educator and promoter of German Wine in Japan. In 2023, Masa was selected to cook dinner for Alice Waters, the legendary American chef and pioneer of the farm-to-table movement, using Kameoka’s locally grown organic vegetables during her visit to Japan.

Wa-Shokuiku- Mayumi Uejima-Carr
Mayumi became the President of TABLE FOR TWO USA following work with Accenture and Eli Lilly pharmaceutical company and earning an MBA from Thunderbird. With TFT, she has developed a program to provide healthier school meals for children in the U.S. In doing so, she realized the need for a more structured food education program. She is a delegate to the US-Japan Leadership Program (2017-18).