Upcoming Event

February 9, 2017

Celebrate Japanify All Month with Us!

by Umami Mart Staff

Japanify All Day is Umami Mart’s recently released Japanese recipe cookbook zine. It’s our very first publication, so we’re pretty damn excited about it and we’ve decided to devote the month of February to celebrate its release. During Japanify month, we’re throwing a Japanify Golden Ticket Contest and two parties, so that you can Japanify […]

December 1, 2016

Go-To Guide: The Complete Cocktail Manual

by Umami Mart Staff

Our friend Lou Bustamante recently released this great cocktail book that we’re excited to carry in our shop. Lou is a spirits professional who’s worked in almost every aspect of the industry – bartending, working in a distillery, developing recipes and products, teaching cocktail classes, and more. He’s also a published writer – covering the spirits and cocktails world for publications […]

August 24, 2016

Join Us at The State of Cocktails: East Bay Edition

by Umami Mart Staff

It wasn’t too long ago that San Francisco was the place to be when it came to going out. If you lived in the East Bay, more often than not, you’d have to make the trek over the Bay Bridge or take BART (and risk missing the last train at the end of the night) for a night […]

July 25, 2016

Upcoming Event: 4th Annual Umami Mart Matsuri!

by Kayoko Akabori

It’s that time of year again, Matsuri time! Umami Mart turns 4yo this year and our annual fiesta will be jam-packed and rowdier than ever. It’s Oakland’s Party of the Year! Our Matsuri, this year on Saturday 8/13, is always our way to celebrate our birthday and honor our community – our favorite people! We love all of you who have been […]

July 14, 2016

Off-Site Event: Preserving and Cooking with Koji

by Umami Mart Staff

Join us next Thursday, July 21, at Preserved (5032 Telegraph Ave.) in Oakland, where Yoko and Kayoko will be teaching a class about Preserving and Cooking with Koji. Koji, or Aspergillus oryzae, is a rice mold that’s been used in Japan to produce sake, miso, and shoyu for hundreds of years. Recently, modern chefs have discovered the wonders of shio […]

July 13, 2016

Upcoming Event: Intro to Making Syrups with Emily Han

by Umami Mart Staff

Join Emily Han at Umami Mart on Sunday, July 24, from 1-2:30 p.m. for Intro to Making Syrups, a free demonstration and tasting. At this event, you’ll learn about when, why, and how to use syrups to make sodas, cocktails, and mocktails, as well as basic techniques to make them yourself at home using fresh and […]

June 2, 2016

Upcoming Event: Sakqueso! An Evening with Hakkaisan Brewery + Casa de Kei

by Kayoko Akabori

Get ready for SAKQUESO!, our first dinner event with Timothy Sullivan of Hakkaisan Brewery and Casa de Kei (Keisuke Akabori) of Delage. Join us for a special meal paired with Hakkaisan Sake from Niigata, Japan, at Sequoia Diner in East Oakland on Friday June 17. We will be serving a 5-course tasting menu highlighting CHEESE! Timothy will be […]

May 18, 2016

Upcoming Event: Sake Gumi Exclusive Field Trip to Sequoia Brewery (SF)

by Kayoko Akabori

We are excited to announce our very first field trip exclusively for Sake Gumi members. We’re going to Sequoia Sake Brewery in San Francisco! This is the City’s first sake brewery and we are thrilled to share with this opportunity to tour the site with Sequoia’s founders and sit down for a special sake tasting and food […]

April 12, 2016

Upcoming Event: Kayoko’s Cherry Blossom Cobbler Birthday Festival 3000

by Kayoko Akabori

April 21st — my birthday — is a big deal in Kayokoland. In high school, my best friends would show up at my bedroom window with balloons and breakfast. My 21st birthday was spent in Positano, Italy, like Marisa Tomei in Only You (best romcom!). I turned 27 in a seedy karaoke bar in downtown […]

March 21, 2016

Upcoming Event: Sake Dinner at Camino!

by Kayoko Akabori

We are super duper excited to announce a collaboration event with Camino restaurant! It’s our very first sake dinner and we are thrilled to co-host this event with such a special restaurant. Camino is a magical place in Oakland where I bartended for three years before Yoko and I found a home for Umami Mart. Chef Russell Moore opened Camino with […]