THE RAFU MARKET

Akira Akuto and Nick Montgomery served a Japanese-style omelet sandwich at one of their pop-ups, and customers couldn’t get enough. By MACKIE JIMBO, Rafu Contributor It’s 9:20 a.m. on a crisp Friday morning in September, and there is tension in the air. My mom and I join a group hovering near a small take-out window. As we wait, passersby either knowingly join our group or walk by with confusion. Suddenly, the athleisure-clad girl next to me loses her composure and a sheer lo

It’s a clucky time to be alive, as writer Mackie Jimbo digs into Popeyes’ new chicken sandwich that has recently garnered so much attention since its debut this month. By MACKIE JIMBO, Rafu Columnist I was skeptical when my friends suggested that I write about Popeyes’ new chicken sandwich. I wasn’t a fan of Popeyes’ chicken, and change the channel whenever I hear the chain’s “Louisiana-fast” jingle. But then, The New Yorker waxed poetic about the sandwich, declaring that it’

Jeffrey Ozawa, one of the founders of Tenzo, a multifaceted company that provides catering services and has an online shop of kitchen tools and cookware. Photo by Mieko Beyer Jeffrey Ozawa’s company Tenzo offers a thoughtful and artistic approach to cooking and entertaining. Editor’s note: This is first in a series of profiles of Nikkei entrepreneurs. By MIEKO BEYER With degrees in literature, history and poetry, Tenzo founders Jeffrey Ozawa, Jaimie Lewis and Saehee Cho may s

Mutual Trading Company Chairman Noritoshi Kanai, often called the “Culinary Ambassador of Japan to the U.S.,” passed away on April 22 due to complications from a stroke. He was 94. Noritoshi Kanai Born in Tokyo, he had survived the harsh Pacific War in Burma, and graduated Tokyo Shoka Daigakiu (present-day Hitotsubashi University) with a master’s degree in economics. Kanai, through his leadership of Mutual Trading, has made possible for everyone in America to experience authe