A Taste of Japan: Meet the Makers at ChefShop
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An afternoon of soy sauce, sesame, shirotamari, and stories from the people who make them.
On Saturday, July 11, from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m., join us for a rare afternoon with three Japanese food producers visiting Seattle to share their products, stories, and craft with ChefShop customers.
Leaders from Yugeta, Wadaman, and Nitto Jozo will be in the shop sampling their products, answering questions, and sharing the traditions behind some of Japan’s most distinctive flavors.
This is a casual, drop-in tasting event. Come by to taste, learn, meet the makers, and discover how these ingredients can bring deeper flavor to everyday cooking.
Meet the Makers
Yugeta Soy Sauce
Yoichi Yugeta is the fourth-generation leader of Yugeta Soy Sauce, a family brewery founded in 1923 in Sakado City, Saitama Prefecture. Located near the Chichibu Mountains and the Kanto Plain, the brewery benefits from a natural setting with spring water and a long soy sauce-making tradition.
Mr. Yugeta will be sharing soy sauce made with care, history, and a deep connection to the flavors and traditions of Japan. Yoichi’s own favorite ways to enjoy his family's soy sauce include yakitori and ramen.
Wadaman
Takehiro Wada is the fifth-generation president of Wadaman, a Japanese sesame producer known for carefully selected, deeply flavorful sesame products.
Before joining the family business, Mr. Wada played football at university, worked as a newspaper writer, and traveled through India, Tibet, and Thailand. He joined Wadaman in 2008 and became president in 2018, carrying the company’s sesame tradition into its next generation.
Nitto Jozo
Taisuke Ninagawa is a fourth-generation family member and vice president of Nitto Jozo, a brewery founded in 1938 in Aichi, Japan.
Nitto Jozo is especially known for its shirotamari, a wheat-based seasoning with a lighter color and delicate depth of flavor. Mr. Ninagawa didn't originally plan to enter the family business, but a visit to Nitto Jozo’s mountain brewery in Asuke changed his path. Seeing the wooden barrels and experiencing the character of shirotamari inspired him to study brewing, train at another soy sauce brewery, and eventually return to Nitto Jozo.
What to Expect
- Samples from three visiting Japanese producers
- A chance to meet the people behind the products
- Stories about soy sauce, sesame, shirotamari, and Japanese brewing traditions
- Ideas for using these ingredients in home cooking
- A relaxed, drop-in tasting experience at ChefShop
Event Details
📆 WHEN: Saturday, July 11, 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. PT.
🏬 FORMAT: Open House and FREE - just stop by when you can!
📍 LOCATION: ChefShop Retail Shop, 1425 Elliott Ave West, Seattle, 98119
🚗 PARKING: Easy parking just north of the store, in the large Elliott Junction gravel lot! See map
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Come curious. Leave with new favorite ingredients.