Food is one of the most important aspects of any culture. It brings people together, sharing their customs and traditions with each other. Recipes can connect generations of people. Many of them change each generation, depending on where the person lives and what ingredients are available to them. They connect the past with the present and allow us to add to the traditions we were born into, while also making them our own. Food has been one of the most prominent ways in which I’ve blended my Japanese and Jewish cultures, so I’m very excited to share my first Nourish Co. All Day zine with you.

These days, our lives are often so busy and so full that we forget to honor our ancestors and nourish our bodies and souls through the preparation of the food. Our limited amount of time has become a burden, and our meals are more a necessity than something to be enjoyed. My hope is that these recipes will help to ease the stress of your very busy life. With prep and cook time combined, no recipe will take you longer than 45 minutes to prepare.

My cookbook zine is a collection of seven recipes for each meal of the day, with beautiful photography to accompany each. It is bookended with a watercolor illustration of Japanese and Jewish food and ritual objects, which I commissioned San Francisco artist Janice Chuang to create.

Each recipe also has a short story. There’s my California take on my grandmother's tofu salad from her 1979 Buddhist Church cookbook from Honolulu. Or the Jew-ish donburi: Everything bagel ingredients with a California twist, served over a bed of hot, white rice.

These are the dishes I cook regularly for myself and my family:

1. My Morning Matcha Latte

2. Miso Avocado Toast

3. Onigiri (Rice Balls)

4. Spinach in Tahini Dressing

5. Bachan’s (Grandma) Tofu Salad

6. Jew-ish Donburi (Rice Bowl)

7. Lemon Poppyseed Steam Cake

These recipes express a mix of who I am, my upbringing and blended cultures of Japanese American, Jewish, and Californian. Through reading my stories and cooking my recipes, I hope you will be inspired to play with the recipes of your own ancestors, and create recipes that are all yours. Head here to purchase the first issue of the Nourish Co. zine!

Head here to visit our Modern Heirlooms web shop, where I've thoughtfully co-created ritual objects with my favorite artisans (in limited runs) to help you elevate your sacred rituals. 

I truly believe that cuisine is the most accessible gateway into learning more about our rich heritages. In addition to food, there are so many ways to celebrate, honor, and even reclaim, our time-honored traditions. I believe ritual objects really help anchor us in these moments-- especially around the table.