Umamimart Shop Spotlight: 箸: HASHI Set by Devin Farrell

Design, function and environmental sustainability were heavy on our minds when Yoko and I were thinking of new items to include in the Umamimart Shop. We wanted to include hashi (chopsticks) somehow, but all the ones we looked at were so generic and... blah. We always want Umamimart Shop products to be unique and high in quality, so the pastel-hued, enamel-coated chopsticks just weren't cutting it for us. You know, the ones that could break your teeth?


So we consulted our friend and artist, Devin Farrell. Could he create an exclusive hashi set for the Umamimart Shop? Devin studied woodworking under the tutelage of his grandfather, and now designs and builds furniture. After working in Japan for three years, he and his wife relocated to the SF Bay Area, where we all first met.

Devin has hand-carved is a gorgeous pair of hashi made of California Claro Walnut and the hashi-oki (chopsticks rest) from Elm--both wood that had been reclaimed in the Bay Area. By burning the edges of the hashi for a charred wood finish, Devin adds a traditional Japanese wood-finishing technique.



Here's a video that Yoko shot of Devin in his studio, going over his process of making the hashi-set.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLDEdDD-T74&feature=player_embedded



Sleek and minimal in design, the hashi are easy to hold and easily grab onto whatever you're eating (noodles!). I think they are very sexy.



The hashi and hashi-oki come as a set for $24, and is a sophisticated addition to every table setting.



Please visit the Umamimart Shop and get your hashi for yourself, or as a gift! They are so special--hand-carved with love, in the Bay Area.

*The Umamimart Shop imports high-quality kitchen, table and barware from Japan (and beyond the galaxy) for your cooking, eating + drinking pleasure.