Support for food is love is provided by Wild Alaska Salmon and Seafood 100% fisherman family owned independent seafood sourcing, catching, processing and delivering seafood directly to the consumer's front door from caught to bought wild salmon direct from the fishermen.

Information at wildalaskasalmonandseafood.com Here's to the local restaurants, to the chefs, owner operators, the staff, the ones who love being in the weeds night after night, when we go to work each morning, that's who we have in mind from where we source our food to how we deliver it here's to them, the ones who are out there cooking for us every day.

Restaurants are the heart of everything we do.

We are a Performance Food Service.

Proudly supporting Food is Love To a lot of the world, traditional Japanese culture carries a mystical sense..

The kimonos, the rituals, the meaning assigned to everyday things.

This is Chado, or the way of the tea.

This is the art of the Japanese Tea ceremony.

As a guest, I show respect for the host by paying attention to the preparations and my surroundings.

Every part of the ceremony is conducted with close attention to detail.

There is little talking, mostly focus and appreciating the small things, the details like the flower arrangement, the heating of the water, the making of the tea.

There is meaning and beauty in all of it.

Even this building, an authentic Japanese tea house, was specially constructed for this one particular purpose.

Today I'm in Seiwa-En garden, the garden of pure, clear harmony and peace.

But despite how it might seem, I haven't traveled to Japan to take part in a traditional tea ceremony.

In fact, I haven't even left St. Louis.

As a chef, I need to stay curious in order to evolve.

For me, that means looking beyond a good meal to learn more about who made it and what inspires them to cook.

Every great city has great food.

I'm going on a journey around the world right here in St. Louis.

I'm on a quest to find passionate chefs who cooks from the heart to prove that food is love.

Food is love.

Love your food.

The Missouri Botanical Garden is a historical landmark and easily one of the best botanical gardens in the country for several reasons.

One of those reasons is the Japanese garden.

It is, after all, the largest Japanese garden in the Western Hemisphere.

Designed by renowned Japanese landscape architect Professor Koichi Kowana, most people are unaware that St. Louis has a large and vibrant Japanese culture.

Going back to a time during World War II, when a number of Japanese Americans relocated to St. Louis to avoid being held in internment camps out West.

The influence of their culture has become part of the St. Louis identity.

And people like my friend Yuko here help to keep those traditions alive.

The food scene is no exception.

To illustrate this point, I'm going to an event tonight that has a Japanese theme.

The Red Lantern Night Market, held at a venue called the Mad Art Gallery.

Taiko or Japanese drumming, is based on an ancient art which has been in Japan for thousands of years.

But more recently, as recently as 1951, it was turned into sort of a jazz fusion stage performance art by Oguchi Daihachi who also started Osuadaiko in Japan.

And then in 1986, came to St. Louis and started St.Louis Osuadaiko, which is us.

The event is highlighting local Japanese drums, dress, calligraphy, and there will, of course, be food.

The Night Market is hosted by a Japanese American popup kitchen.

Izakaya Club I can't wait.

This looks just phenomenal.

Let's do it.

Walking into the night market.

The first thing I see is this Izumi, a tiny Japanese fire truck turned Sando pop up cart, chicken Yakitori and colorful milk bread sands are a feast for the eyes.

I'm trying to mimic convenie food, which is convenience store food.

It's a lot more entrenched in Japanese society because they're always on the go, so they're always looking for something good.

So it's not the same sort of gas station food stigma that is here.

They actually get a really good meal at a convenies.

I do about 70-80% preorders, and they sell out very quickly these days.

And then I have a little bit more for walk ups.

I've heard a lot about this food, but this is my first chance to try it, and I think we need more stuff like this pure genius and evidence of the vibrancy of the food scene.

There's a lot going on here, but it's exciting.

Traditional Japanese drum group.

Check.

A kimono expert with kimonos you can try on.

Check, check St Louis is a hotbed for traditional Japanese culture.

In the United States There's a Japanese fortune teller here.

Can I quote you on that?

Yes.

Of course!

And music from the local lounge Takashima Record bar.

That's my name in Japanese.

This is like a free pass to all the good sushi bars in St. Louis To pull off a Japanese themed event like this, You need a lot of resources from the community the line up tonight.

Makes it obvious that Japanese culture is well represented here in St.Louis Such a wonderful culture.

This is Heidi and her partner, Jonathan, the duo that is Izakaya Club, Cowboy Samurai.

This is an incredible night.

We wanted to showcase the Japanese American Society because they're an amazing nonprofit, and they're a little bit about what we are, like, Izakaya Club we're Cowboy Samurai, a little bit of American, a little bit of Japanese and being able to introduce that to a lot of people in St. Louis That would like, pretty much get us because a lot of people are like, I don't know if I want to eat that or I don't eat Japanese because it's just sushi.

I don't do seafood, and we're trying to introduce, like, the barbecue and Midwestern stuff and keeping the traditional side also with it.

You're famous for your sushi.

Oh, yeah.

Everybody is looking at it because it's like a work of art.

Before the quarantine, we only catered to country clubs in St. Louis and, like, big corporations because it kept us busy enough to do that.

And then after, because of COVID, we were like, okay, every single one of our things shut down.

And we're like, what are we going to do?

And I'm like, there's people that like, my sushi.

So I'm just going to slowly put pictures out and be like, hey, do you want to buy one?

I was like, Well, if I make you one, will you tag us?

And that's how it all started.

And it was like, really word of mouth.

I mean, that's the best kind of marketing.

Both Heidi and Jonathan have lived past lives in different kitchens all around the city, coming together to form a fluid fusion of both of their expertise.

Cowboy Samurai.

In Japan an izakaya is a pub or a tavern that serves small plates.

Ultimately, a brick and mortar place is in the plans.

But for now, Izakaya Club is thriving through catering, themed dinners and popup events like tonight, serving modern Japanese pub fair, bringing together culture and tradition to create an immersive and exciting food experience.

And we are all even when we eat, we are all the same.

Doesn't matter what you look like.

If you're rich or poor.

I love it.

That's beautiful.

We're just, like, booked out for, like, two months So we're going to have to catch up with you so you show us all of that I love sushi.

Do you?

Yeah.

Jonathan and Heidi has invited me to come to their favorite place to escape in their downtime.

Vikings meets the Samurai.

Should we fight?

No, I'm too old for that now, lets just eat.

A place where they can R amp D food for their next popup, disconnect and regroup with friends.

Mineral Point is about an hour out of the city, but it feels like a whole other world.

It's beautiful here the view on the water, nature and serenity.

But what did it for me was the kitchen.

Heidi, Jonathan and Heidi's Dad Hamasan, meet here with friends pretty regularly to relax, fish and cook, but mostly cook.

This place is like a test kitchen.

No, a la.

A place where creative ideas live alongside of tradition.

East meets west, Cowboy Samurai.

The spread they have planned for us today has me wishing it's dinner time already.

But before that can happen, there's plenty to do.

And it looks like a course in sushi making is in my future.

This is the amount of rice, usually for a basic roll.

And then when you push it, wow.

Some people try to get it and they have all these things.

I'm like, just take your rice.

Boom.

There you go.

That's a great trick.

Yeah.

And then with seaweed, also the rough side right here, you want to make sure that that's where the rice goes on to make sure.

Also, a lot of people will try to press you're just kind of rolling the rice and you want to roll it to where you don't see the seaweed anymore.

I like this because it kind of grinds up your sesame seeds, so you get that more flavor to come out.

So this is just the roasted sesame seeds?

Mm Hmm..

I will show you how to make the basic California roll first.

Okay.

But don't you frown upon people that eat California roll or you think it's like, I don't frown about it because that's a safe role to introduce someone to sushi when they're kind of, like, scary with fish.

And then once they like that, they're like, oh, well, maybe I can eat this.

And then you kind of move them towards, like, the rainbow roll because it is a California roll with, like, little raw pieces of fish on top.

So they only get a little bit of it.

So you kind of like, you're kind of introduced to You wean them.

Yeah, you wean a little to see you like that.

Okay.

Then maybe you can have this.

And maybe you can have that you know.. A little crab mixture, like, little real crab, a little kanikama crab.

And we use a little bit of soy sauce, some Japanese mayonnaise and a little bit of sesame oil just to give it a little flavor.

So it gets sticky so it stays and it's not falling apart.

You can take a little bit.

You want to put it down.

You don't want to put too much because you still have to put everything else in there.

So do I have to press it?

You don't have to press it too much.

You just want to make sure it's, like, in the line.

And then I'm going to give you some avocado, and I just kind of like, just sticking it in there, cucumbers.

You just stick right here.

When we roll, you're basically wanting to make sure this end when it rolls, hits this part.

Okay.

So from the side, you can see where I'm at.

And then you want to take your hand, your fingers up here so your thumbs are on the side, and then your fingers are here as you're rolling this up, you want to push this in, Okay.

And kind of hit that spot and then kind of squeeze in, and then you're going to take this and then one more roll and then kind of roll it.

Yeah.

And then squeeze.

And then you want to make sure this part is on the bottom.

All right.

Yes.

Woah look at you!

A lot of people try to press and then go like, this.

Your role will smash.

So you just got to rock it.

Some people display it like that.

It looks delicious.

Japanese cuisine in America, most people think it's just a roll or different kinds of rolls and maybe nigiri and shashimi.

But it's also a lot of other things that we don't really see over here In St. Louis.

Kind of when people are like, oh, I'm going to go eat Japanese, but they don't really know the deep down the street food, like all these little things that he used to have at his restaurant, which is why I miss.

And so we're trying to bring a lot of that back.

A lot of it is affordable and so good, and you can order a bunch of it, like tapas style and come with your friends, drink and eat.

It's not just sushi, it's so much other food.

There's so much food, affordable food, delicious food, all kinds of food.

Watching Heidi's dad work, you get the feeling that you are witnessing a master at his craft.

And indeed, you are.

In his younger days, Hamasan was trained in traditional French cooking just the same as me.

He was even a Baker at one point.

Eventually, he opened up his own restaurant combining French and Japanese food.

Hamasan isn't in the restaurant business anymore, but that doesn't mean he spends any less time in the kitchen.

He stays busy helping with his Izakaya club.

in preparation for tonight, he marinated and smoked scallops, octopus, Bonito and duck.

So what do you get when you cross Japanese and French cuisine?

A smoked duck breast sushi, of course, the best of both worlds.

Tuna and foi gras with a little gold leaf on it My mind is blown.

Meanwhile, Jonathan has his own magic working.

Part grill guru and equal part sake scientist.

Ask him about it, and right away you can see his passion for smoked meats and sake, but more specifically, blending Japanese flavors into traditional American things like his umami burger.

Instead of making a traditional barbecue sauce, how can I cook with microbes?

How can I cook with something that is beyond chemistry of cooking on a stove?

But I'm actually letting something ferment and take it's time to become naturally umami to become naturally sweet Through time and fermentation of Koji mold spores.

Jonathan has developed a sort of yogurt that he folds into his burgers before cooking, giving them a nuttty, almost parmesan like flavor, without seasoning or cheese.

It's an innovative and interesting idea, and it's delicious.

I knew when I discovered this that I had an opportunity to cook with microbes.

And I thought, Well, if I can make chemical satisfaction, if I can make, chemical satisfaction?

it is umami all the enzymes that hit your palate and it goes to your brain.

And it's a satisfying.

And so I thought, Well, if I can do that with fermentation, I think I'm set the rest of my life.

So we actually dust our popcorn with this.

Will you put your palm out.

It's like a Koji white pepper, malted, Koji rice and sea salt.

Blend it together, and I put to cure thing so that aftertaste if you noticed, really sticks with you.

And that's something that when I eat food and I find that I go, man, I got to go back.

And this, the zucchini dog.

It sounds so simple, but to reach a level of consistency, Jonathan has spent time to learn how to get it right.

We score them.

I put this salt on there and let them cure them fridge overnight.

And then I put them on the RC smoke room, and I shrink down a little bit.

It's not only the cowboy side of cowboy samurai that Jonathan represents a deep respect for sake and the process of making it has led him down the path of fermentational enlightenment.

Now you were fermentating this relationship?

Yeah.

Once I get that nice cherry smoke on there, it's got that, umami inside, its a little sweet, but I'm not adding any processed sugars.

I'm just adding sugar straight from the rice that has been activated.

I may not have a tight grip on everything Jonathan is talking about, but I do understand the taste and the smells.

He has meat in the smoker and zucchini dogs nearly ready to go.

I wasn't sure what to expect when they asked me to spend the weekend here but from what I've seen so far, I'm glad I said yes.

Heidi has started to arrange every kind of sushi imaginable onto a large display that Hamisan made from found driftwood.

This is why they stay booked with catering a feast for the eyes.

With so much food on the way, Heidi has invited a few industry friends out for dinner.

Guests will be arriving soon, but there is somewhat of a tradition Heidi keeps every time she comes here looking for quartz crystals around the lake shore, and they're everywhere.

I have to admit, this is pretty fun.

As a bonus, we stumbled on some wild blackberries and they're ready to pick Are they sweet?

Some of them are like, if you have to tug at it, they're not sweet, but if they come like, right off they're sweet, there's There's always these thorns with blackberries, right.

Well, I mean, that's the thing.

You've got to get in there..

In Desoto we have them, and then you got to get past the snakes and the chiggers.

We don't have chiggers down here, right?

You're like.

Oh, my God!

I've said it before.

It's the simple things, being out here really makes you slow down and appreciate the small moments.

Over on the dock, Hamasan is cleaning the fish he caught today to prepare for dinner tonight.

To most Midwesterners, these fish would be considered too small to fillet, but Hamasan doesn't fillet them.

He leaves them mostly whole.

Scaling these small bass and leaving the skin on will give them that extra little crunch.Once they're fried later.

They don't do that.

If you would have told me, I had to drive an hour and a half south of St.Louis to have the best sushi I've ever had in my entire life, I probably wouldn't have believed you.

Guest have begun to arrive, representatives of a handful of other St. Louis restaurants.

Kurt Bellon from Izsumi is here.

Alex Cupp from Stellar Hog, it's starting to feel like a summer camp for chefs.

As the food is finishing up and the sun is setting, there's enough time for a game of bags with new friends.

Close, but no cigar!

I have to remind myself it's not about winning.

And then this, dinnertime.

What an incredible display of food and skill.

Prime rib, more sushi, barbecue, smoked burgers, Hamisan's fried fish, zucchini dogs and all the sides to go with it.

What a great night.

A perfect ending to a day I won't soon forget.

When you have a bunch of chefs in the kitchen, the night almost always ends like this.

This is the part the guests never see!

It's morning, and it's peaceful here, the kind of peaceful that makes you question if it's worthwhile going back to the daily grind.

But those kind of questions can be dangerous if I seriously entertain them.

So I'm about to hit the road and get back to my restaurant.

But before I go, I join Heidi at the Dock for a little fishing and reflection.

So, Izakaya, That's something in Japan that means, like pub?

It's like a Japanese pub.

Okay, You can go there, get affordable food, beer and saki and soju and stuff like that.

And it's, like, really affordable, but really good.

And nobody does that out here.

Oh, yeah.

There we go!

It's a baby.

Sushi for breakfast!

Yeah, it's been an incredible weekend with all the food.

I mean, you made way too much food That's actually little compared to what we usually do.

You put the love in food is love for me yesterday, for sure.

And the sushi was amazing.

And the company was amazing.

What a great weekend.

Yeah.

Thanks for coming out.

When are we doing this again?

Whenever you want to have been here to seen Heidi work alongside To have been here to seen Heidi work alongside her father is a beautiful thing.

To be honest, I probably see a little bit of myself in this situation when you have a chance to apprentice with a master, who just happens to be your dad.

It's special, a direct passing of the torch, even if you don't realize it at the time and under the tutelage of Hamison, Heidi has developed her own style, maintaining the same focus and attention to detail.

To put it simply, you know, Heidi's food when you see it and when you've had it yourself, you get it.

I think I get it now.

On the surface, the tea ceremony seems like it's about the tea, but in reality, it's about developing a deeper appreciation for everything.

Noticing the details..

I came here thinking the story was about the sushi, Only to develop a deeper appreciation for everything they do at Izakaya Club, from the sounds and the food, at the Red Lantern Night Market, to spending time in the kitchen with Hamasan, the pioneering work that Jonathan is doing with saki, Koji molds, and umami flavors, to eating food made for me by a by a master.

And, yeah, The sushi WAS unbelievable, but so was getting to know all the people behind it.

Japanese culture and influence are living parts of the St. Louis fabric.

What Heidi and Jonathan are doing isn't just a part of it.

They're helping to promote it, to grow it.

My visit has come to an end here.

But as I learned from the tea ceremony, I'm trying to appreciate all the little moments.

In older times, even the Samurai was required to leave his swords outside of the tea house.

Because inside the tea room, no matter your stature in life, everyone is considered equal.

Food is love.

So tea is also love because we are preaching the same things.

Respect, tranquility, harmony food has brought me to places I never would food has brought me to places I never would have gone, introduced me to new ideas and revealed here yet another cultural facet that contributes to the brilliance of the St. Louis food scene.

I was inspired by all the flowers in the Botanical Garden and Heidi Sky.

This is a Scallop Capaccio.

Food is love.

Support for Food is Love is provided by Wild Alaska Salmon and Seafood 100% Fisherman family owned Independent seafood sourcing Catching, processing and delivering seafood directly to the consumer's front door from caught to bought, wild salmon direct from the fishermen Information at wildlaskasalmonandseafood.com Here's to the local restaurants to the chefs owner operators, the staff, the ones who love being in the weeds night after night.

When we go to work each morning, that's who we have in mind from where we source our food to how we deliver it here's to them, the ones who are out there cooking for us every day Restaurants are the heart of everything we do.

We are Performance Food Service.

Proudly supporting Food is love.