Upcoming Event
June 17, 2013
Upcoming Event: U-MART Opens 6/25 (Party of the Year!)
Conbini is a shortened word for “convenience” which is referred to when talking about convenience stores in Japan. Littered around on any street corner in most cities, conbinis are like a typical corner store, or bodega — but from the future. They are well-lit, sparkling clean havens stocked with freshly prepared foods to-go, nail clippers, panty hose, comic books and magazines, cigarettes, cup noodles, cold + hot drinks, and anything else you would have ever fantasized about picking up on your way home after a long day of work.
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May 30, 2013
Upcoming Event: Umeshu Class with Peko Peko
Ume (Japanese plum) season is upon us! Through the years, we’ve brought you many posts about making umeshu (plum cordial) at home. We’ve had several umeshu features and recipes on the blog, from Yoko’s kitchen in Tokyo, MOTO’s kitchen in NYC, and from Sylvan’s Peko Peko HQ in Oakland.
There have been loads of of questions and feedback from these various posts, with lots of specific questions about the umeshu-making process.
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April 29, 2013
Upcoming Event: First Friday with Ippo Ramen
Come out for the 2nd edition of the Ippo Ramen pop-up here at Umami Mart. Last month, the ramen sold out in record time — 56 bowls in 56 minutes. You know what that means… get here EARLY if you want a bowl. Seriously. Steve will be serving his signature ramen with shoyu, miso and shio broths with all the accouterments: soft-boiled egg, negi (green onions), chashu (roasted pork) and nori (seaweed).
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April 1, 2013
Upcoming Event: Ippo Ramen Pop-Up
We are SUPER EXCITED to host a pop-up by Ippo Ramen this First Friday 4/5. Proprietor Steve Yee will be here starting at 6pm, ready to cook up some noodles to serve you his ramen. His simple menu consists of three choices: shoyu, miso and shio (salt) broths. He makes everything except the noodles by hand, and spent over a year perfecting his broths and a long while on the egg and chashu.
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March 21, 2013
Upcoming Event: Fukushima Now: Relief Effort to Support Children in Fukushima
Two years after the Tohoku disaster in 2011, memories have faded and conversations about the incident, and what we can learn from it, are rapidly disappearing from the media. As time widens the gap between March 11, 2011 and the present, I wonder how I can stay connected to the issues that arose from the disaster — but often I am left feeling very helpless.
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March 12, 2013
Upcoming Event: Lease-Signing Party!
In August, Tomo gifted us a daruma to celebrate the opening of Umami Mart. It is tradition to draw in one eyeball when you receive it while making a wish, then fill in the other when the wish comes true. Our wish was to sign a lease in six months.
And we did it! We signed a lease! WOOOOOO-HOOOOO!!! Who knew that Oakland was starved for a shop that specialized in Japanese kitchen and barware???
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February 15, 2013
Upcoming Event: Seed Season: Planting + Garden Caretaking
Kitazawa Seed Company will be unable to join our event this Saturday. But Kristyn Leach of Namu Farm will be here to talk about planting, and garden upkeep. Please join us!
Spring is rapidly approaching, and that means seed season! What would you like to plant this year? How will you best maintain your plants? We are excited to host an event with Kitazawa Seed Company and Kristyn Leach of Namu Farm, who will discuss planting methods and tips for how to keep your garden sprouting, blooming and thriving.
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January 28, 2013
Upcoming Event: Home is Oakland, Home is Japan by Aya Brackett
Our next photo exhibition will be by the lovely and talented Aya Brackett in a show titled Home is Oakland, Home is Japan. Professionally, Aya’s food photography has been published in The New York Times, Monocle and Bon Appetit, and for this show, Aya has chosen select pieces that reflect domestic moments in California and Japan. Capturing kitchen scenes in Oakland, or at her grandmother’s and friend’s homes in Tokyo and Kyoto, Aya’s photos are at once intimate and playful.
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January 14, 2013
Upcoming Event: Quick Pickles + Canning with Kelly Geary
Based in Brooklyn, NY, Kelly Geary is the founder and chef for Sweet Deliverance, a thriving subscription program where she prepares healthy, delicious home-cooked meals out of her CSA shares. All with fresh and organic produce, she charts out each meal for the week, for her too-busy-to-cook customers — anything from salads and soups to protein-rich entrees that are ready to be warmed up for the entire family.
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December 17, 2012
Upcoming Event: Hand-Pulled Udon by Peko-Peko
It’s chilly out! Come by on Thursday for a bowl of udon, hand-pulled by Sylvan Brackett of Peko Peko. He will most likely be serving the soup with roasted duck and mushrooms. Sylvan’s udon are some of the best I’ve had in the Bay Area. Don’t miss this!
WHAT:
Peko Peko pop-up @ Umami Mart, serving hot hand-pulled udon with duck and mushrooms.
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