Japanese Food Lab Chef Series by Nao Sugiyama | Dashi

Celebrated Chef Nao Sugiyama, an expert of kaiseki cuisine (traditional multi-course cuisine that highlights seasonality and fresh ingredients to enhance natural flavors) and owner of Sugiyama, once rated 3 stars by the New York Times, will lead a workshop focused on dashi, a clear broth that is an indispensable part of Japanese cooking and brings out layers of flavor, aroma, and depth of ingredients, resulting in savory umami notes.

Chef Sugiyama will impart his knowledge of dashi, the unsung hero of Japanese cuisine central to all dishes, as he introduces commonly used Japanese ingredients such as katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes), konbu (kelp), and hoshi-shiitake (dried shiitake mushroom). He will also share tips on how to make it at home using traditional methods or with store-bought dashi packets. Participants will enjoy several dishes using dashi, including traditional udon (noodle) and matcha soba pasta (buckwheat), prepared by Chef Sugiyama. *Not suitable for individuals allergic to buckwheat.

Registration

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*Participants must be 18 or older to join this workshop.

Chef Profile

Chef Nao Sugiyama
A native of Okayama Prefecture in Japan, Chef Sugiyama has led a distinguished career in the culinary world since opening his kappo restaurant “Ten-nao” in 1981. In 1990, he moved to the United States, and worked at high-profile restaurants such as Katsu and Matsuhisa in Los Angeles, and Le Parker Meridian Hotel and Katana in New York before opening his acclaimed flagship restaurant, “Sugiyama” in New York City. At Sugiyama, Chef Sugiyama led the restaurant to numerous awards, including receiving 3-stars from NY Times critic Ruth Reichl, ranking No. 4 on Zagat NYC in 2000 with a score of 28 out of 30, rating 3-stars by Forbes, and being featured on multiple publications such as Vanity Fair, NY Magazine, Saveur Magazine, Travel and Leisure, Foodie Top 100 Restaurants, OAD Top 100 Restaurants US, and many more. From Fall 2017, Chef Sugiyama has been Executive Chef at Shiki, Beverly Hills.