So excited to be a part of Crown Nine, a part of Popup Hood opening soon in Oakland! More details coming soon…

…the JCCCNC asked me to pass this great news on, so here you go!

Kaiseki Workshop

with Kimika Soko Takechi & Larry Sokyo Tiscornia
Saturday, August 27, 2011 ~ 12:00-2:30 p.m.
At the JCCCNC – Issei Memorial Hall
1840 Sutter Street, San Francisco (between Buchanan and Webster) (map)

For more information or to register, please call the JCCCNC at (415) 567-5505
or e-mail programsevents@jcccnc.org.
Cost: $30 members / $35 non-members
Workshop limited to the first 20 paid and registered participants.

Kaiseki ryori, seasonal Japanese cuisine served during the traditional Chanoyu (tea ceremony) gathering, has its roots in the simple seasonal vegetarian cuisine served in the Zen temple.

Kaiseki cuisine uses fresh seasonal ingredients, simple seasonings and cooking techniques to create dishes that are beautiful to look at, tasty and in harmony with the season. Strictly vegetarian in earlier times, kaiseki cooking has changed with modern tastes and customs and now often includes seafood, poultry and meat in its many dishes.

This late summer kaiseki workshop will feature 4 courses including: edamame gohan (green soybean rice), chilled poached chicken with a bainiku (pickled plum) sauce, sakana no kuzutataki (fresh fish lightly dusted with kuzu [kudzu starch] and then poached) and fresh cooked octopus with crisp celery and cucumber in a sunomono dressing. Dashi soup stock will also be made using konbu (kelp) and katsuobushi (shaved dried bonito). The class will be mostly demonstration, with some hands-on arranging, and participants will be able to sample the dishes that are prepared. Easy to follow recipes will be provided. Participants should bring an apron.

Kimika Soko Takechi and Larry Sokyo Tiscornia are instructors of the traditional Japanese art of Chanoyu, the tea ceremony. They teach Chanoyu and its many related arts in San Francisco and travel to many places sharing their knowledge with others through lectures and demonstrations. They received their professional tea names in 1985 from Sen Soshitsu XV, then the head tea master of the Urasenke School of Tea, in Kyoto, Japan and both received the Junkyoju, associate professor, degree in 1994. The name Soko translates to “fragrance” and Sokyo to “bridge.”

Kimika is from Iyo City, in Shikoku, Japan, and came to the U.S. in 1976 to study English at Holy Names College and the University of San Francisco. She worked as an artist in traditional kimono design in Kyoto and has been studying and teaching tea for 40 years. She is also an accomplished artist specializing in watercolors.

Larry, a San Francisco native, attended both City College of San Francisco and Los Angeles. Larry began his tea study in 1976 and trained for 6 years at the Urasenke School headquarters in Kyoto from 1979 to 1985. He graduated from both the international and professional Japanese divisions of the school and returned to S.F. in 1985 as an instructor at the Urasenke Foundation of S.F. Since 1988 he and Kimika have been teaching Chanoyu privately in San Francisco and share the joy of tea with many.

When: Saturday & Sunday, April 16-17 from 11am-6pm

Where: at my studio in the Mission! 744 Alabama St., studio 302 San Francisco (map)

**special note** 30% of sales through the end of the month will go to the Japanese Red Cross Society for the earthquake & tsunami relief & recovery

Hope to see you there!

In light of the multiple tragedies unfolding in Japan, Aiko Designs is donating 30% of sales from the site and upcoming events to the Japanese Red Cross Society via Google Crisis Response.  US dollars will be converted to Japanese Yen and donated through the site.  This will run though the month of March and April.

Thanks so much for your thoughts and prayers on the recovery of Japan!

Just back from a trip to Tokyo and I had the opportunity to check out the food trucks that set up in front of the International Forum building in Yurakucho.  These trucks are soooo tiny and yet so efficient.  It was fun just watching them do their thing.

Japanese Pho food truck

side view

Japanese Mexican Taco truck

Japanese Hawaiian food truck

Japanese Creperie truck

Yakisoba food truck

After walking by each truck several times, I decided on ebi-mayo-yakisoba. The chef in the truck had several eggs pre-cooked and waiting on a plastic lid, (I know sounds weird, but I had no worries that the food wasn’t fresh!) and once he stir-fried up the shrimp and noodles, he topped the dish with the egg.  It was tasty, fresh, fast and only 600 yen (about $7.00)!

Ebi-mayo yakisoba

lookit how tiny this truck is!

back of yakisoba truck

CAPSULE
this Sunday, May 23rd
Hayes Valley, San Francisco
Ocatvia @ Hayes
outside, all day, 11am-6pm
FREE and open to the public

Featuring 130 Independent designers, selling all sorts of interesting and unique goods.
Women’s wear
Men’s
Kid’s clothes
Baby stuff
Jewelry
Bags
Paper goods
Lifestyle goods
and way too many t-shirts, but all chosen to be madly interesting.

With a special section fashion invitational on Linden St. hosted by Javier (Javi en Rose)

Live acoustic music all day long throughout the entire festival

See you there!

Don’t forget, you’re already getting great savings at the sample sale as all items will be reduced, so an additional 10%  discount is pretty fantastic!

Get more details about this Saturday’s sale here.

Aiko Designs is now listed on the Mission Artists United directory.  With such a large concentration of artists in the Mission District of San Francisco, it’s great that there is a place to find the artists and studios spread throughout the district — check out their map here — it’s a great tool for the upcoming Spring Mission Open Studios later in April. Hope to see you there!

10th Annual Art Explosion Open Studios
APRIL 23-25, 2010
Friday 7-11, Saturday, 12-5, Sunday 12-5

Lots of new sweet and shimmery pieces to see — take a look here.

Please join us for an evening of art and open studios with over 60 artists. Finds gifts for friends, family (and yourself!) of art and jewelry from local Bay Area artists, designers and makers.

We will have plenty of holiday cheer on hand.

Friday, Dec. 11th 7:00-11:00pm

Wine & refreshments provided. Free admission.

Hope to see you there!