Los Angeles Culinary Company Highlights Niche Japanese Cuisine

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 27, 2021

Los Angeles, CA — On Sunday, June 13th, Culinary Curation, a Los Angeles based company specializing in Japanese culinary promotion, will start its culinary experience series: Create Japan.

The culinary series that began with April’s “hanami”or cherry blossom cocktail in collaboration with Beams Suntory, is now producing “Shincha — Japanese Afternoon Tea.”

Shincha is an afternoon event that is designed to introduce the season’s most sought after, once-a-year tea. Create Japan participants are particularly privileged, as a fresh crop of Shincha green tea will arrive specifically for this event — a premium tea not readily available outside of Japan.

For gourmands and general food lovers waiting on trip to Tokyo, Create Japan fills the void by introducing a range of unique culinary items typically underrepresented in the West. “Shincha — Japanese Afternoon Tea,” and other upcoming food events, emphasize classic Japanese staples beyond the familiar sushi and ramen, while educating consumers on Japanese tea culture beyond matcha. In collaboration with Yamamotoyama, the oldest tea company in Japan, and local Japanese chef Ai Kennedy, the Shincha event will feature Japanese small-bites of temari sushi and wagashi — along with Japanese green tea served three ways.

Wagashi is a traditional Japanese confection popularized by “mochi “ in the West. However, there is more to wagashi than just mochi, as its history goes back to Metholithic period. People in Japan used seasonal and local ingredients like leaves and nuts to create treats that developed alongside the tea culture in Japan. Temari sushi, or temarizushi, is a bite-sized sushi shaped like a ball. Temari are small balls decorated with thread art, and temari sushi are often served at festive occasions for their bright decorative features.

For each event in the Create Japan food series, Culinary Curation allows Los Angeles residents to participate through a range of outlets, including popups, partner chefs and restaurants, and through unique content on YouTube and social media. “Shincha — Japanese Afternoon Tea” provides options for take out, in-person dining, or curbside pickup.

Tickets for “Sincha — Japanese Afternoon Tea” go on sale May 17th through the Tock website. The event will be held June 13th from 1pm to 5pm at the soon-to-be opened Kensho Ryokan, formerly the Firehouse Hotel, in the Art District of DTLA.

buy tickets on tock

Photo Description: two pine-looking boxes have several food items place in the box. On the side are a couple of round plates with tea leaves in it (they look like hojicha and green tea)

SHINCHA — JAPANESE AFTERNOON TEA

DATE: Sunday, June 13th
PLACE: 710 S Santa Fe Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90021
(Former Firehouse Hotel, future home of Kensho Ryokan)
TIME: reservation/pick up only 1~5pm
RESERVATION: via Tock
SOCIAL: @CreateJapan
PRICE: $75pp (comes with temari sushi, wagashi confections and 3 kinds of green tea directly shipped from Japan for this event and accompanying video to learn about tea)

CHEF: Ai Kennedy 　
Ai Kennedy is an acclaimed sushi chef and seafood master based in Pasadena. Born and raised in Japan, she spent most of her adolescence in Kyoto, where the use of local seasonal ingredients is considered essential in culinary arts. With past experiences working in a Michelin starred restaurant and leading as a head chef in a highly regarded sushi house, her current passion is to create traditional but unique dishes that highlight fresh seafood from Japan and seasonal produce of California .

Producer/Tea: Tomoko Imade Dyen
A Tokyo native, a New York transplant, Tomoko Imade Dyen started cooking at her grandparents’ hotel kitchen when she was 7. She loves food and information, so it was natural choice for her to work as a TV producer after graduating from Boston University with a degree in Cultural Anthropology. She has been covering food trends before it was a cool things to do. After producing over 50 documentaries for NHK, and a brief year of raising money for films, she has returned to her true passion: food. From handling restaurant PR to planning Japan – US michelin star chefs collaborations, Tomoko aspires to be a true Japanese food ambassador,
connecting and bridging cultures and people.