Last night, I had the honor of being one of the speakers at a very special Tu B’Shvat seder dinner at Urban Adamah, a Jewish urban farm in Berkeley. I had the task of speaking about barley, one of the seven sacred Biblical species. As I dove into researching this humble grain, I learned that it has many lessons to teach us.
Read MoreTo me, ritual objects are family heirlooms. And family heirlooms are not mass produced and sold in big box stores. They are made with materials that withstand the test of time and/or patina over time. Heirlooms are elegantly timeless. I’ve had countless conversations with friends about the absence of objects like these on the market today. And when I couldn’t find them, I decided to collaborate with my favorite artisans to create my own line.
Read MoreThis is the challah cover I’ve been dreaming of for years! I wanted to create a very pared-back, contemporary design of the Biblical Seven Species. It was also important to me to not include any words, so that this heirloom could be multi-purposed. Each challah cover is made entirely by hand by a team of artisans in New England, Broiderie Stitch.
Read MoreIt was always puzzling to me that when we create a sacred moment around our dinner table for Shabbat or a holiday, we would set down an heirloom pair of silver candlesticks on an old piece of junk mail or foil to protect the table from burning wax. I wished there was something just as special to use instead, so I set out to have one made! In this collaboration, we’ve reproduced a tray in a design that has come to be synonymous with San Francisco-based artist Tina Frey.
Read MoreThe work of Ilana Kaufman, the founder of Jews of Color Field Building Initiative has been encouraging and inspiring me so much lately. I can’t remember the first time I heard about Ilana because I have admittedly read every single article about Ilana and her work on the Internet; what she does is very near and dear to my heart.
Read MoreToday I am so excited to introduce you to one of my favorite jewelry designers and ceramicists, Alyson Iwamoto! For me, when I wear an Alyson Iwamoto piece, it also feels like a way to wear my heritage proudly for all to see, and there’s something profoundly healing and powerful in that.
Read MoreToday I am so excited to introduce you to Naomi Takata Shepherd, the talented creator behind 6 Degrees of Hapa! I found myself reading Naomi’s powerful and thoughtful answers over and over again in the course of the last week. I hope that you too will find her interview as inspiring as I did, and that it will renew your sense of pride in your own identity— as it does for me.
Read MoreOn Rosh Hashanah, we celebrate God’s creation of the world, and we eat sweet foods to symbolize hopes for a sweet New Year. In our home, I like to honor my husbands Ashkenazi Jewish food traditions as well as my own Japanese American food traditions. Sometimes that means creating something entirely new like this baked apple and miso honey sundae!
Read MoreA couple of years back, I was so happy to discover Hikari Farms through Bi-Rite market. Everything they grow is certified organic, and you can just feel the love they put into everything. So I was over the moon when Janet Nagamine, the second generation owner, reached out and invited me to the farm for a tour and nabe lunch. Today, I am so excited to share my experience and everything I learned about this small but mighty and inspirational farm here.
Read MoreEvery good cook has their secret resources. Mine is The Japanese Pantry, who source ingredients made by Japanese food artisan families who have been making these products for generations. I enjoyed coming up with two simple recipes using the Pure Rice Vinegar from Io Jozo, a 123-year-old vinegar company. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed developing (and eating) them!
Read MoreHigh quality Japanese food products that are not laden with chemicals and coloring are surprisingly hard to find here in the US. Recently, Marc Matsumoto from No Recipes (!) reached out and told me about Kokoro Care Packages. They offer monthly and seasonal care packages, filled with Japanese food products that are produced by small artisan producers all over Japan. So when they offered to send me a box to try, I was so excited!
Read MoreOne thing that brings me joy each week is logging into Instagram to see what this rabbi and rabbi-to-be are up to. Sam and Rena are the brilliant minds behind the insanely popular Instagram handle @modern_ritual. It has been said that connecting over social media is incomparable to in real life, but Sam and Rena have managed to defy all odds…
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