WELCOME TO THE Journal
Outside my kitchen window a party of small, cold-hardy songbirds splash about in a flooded pot of dormant water lilies. Their giddy chatter and cheerful presence never fails to brighten my day. But today is already a bright day. The sun beams from a clear sky as if to celebrate this first day of a […]
The season of Daikan (greater cold) lived up to its name this year unlike any other. It was the coldest stretch on record in my time in Mirukashi. Last week temperatures were below zero nightly and rarely peaked above 2 or 3 degrees during the day. Flurries of snow were constant though not accumulative. I’m […]
Happy New Year, friends! In Japan we enjoy a nice long holiday during the first several days of the new year and it affords ample time for introspection, gaining clarity, and setting intentions for the year. For me, this always includes some consideration of what area of cooking I want to dive deeper into. I’ve […]
Whether one truly understands how or why such a simple dish takes so much time, the body and soul clearly take great pleasure in such a labor of love. I think time just might just be the most essential ingredient in good cooking. Because cooking with care takes time. And care — for your ingredients, […]
I’m building a menu of seasonal cocktails to weave into the fabric of the MIRUKASHI salon sessions. I can’t wait to shake and stir and slip one (sprited or zero-proof) across the bar to you. Just about a year ago I decided to stop drinking alcohol on the daily. The transition was far easier than […]
It was an odd year for ume in Mirukashi. A few weeks back I had stood on the narrow balcony outside Kuniko’s house looking out over the ume trees puzzled by the yellowed canopy of my three most prolific trees. Their color stood out, unusual against the more familiar, verdant green of the other trees […]
New wild edibles in my Mirukashi kitchen. May days are soft. Doves coo and whippoorwills whistle. Hazy clouds float through a pale sky. Green deepens and branches stretch as though to reach through windows and enter doors. The cicadas have begun to stir and whirr as bees and black butterflies flit from Seville to thistle […]
To host intimate gatherings of extraordinary guests and together explore the flavors of the season in the context of one of the world’s greatest culinary traditions. I can’t wait to welcome you.
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