Growing up in Japan, umami wasn't something I thought of as a trend or even a special ingredient. It was simply part of the way we cooked and ate every day.
One of my earliest memories of truly understanding umami came from my mom.
When I was 17, my mom had to stay in the hospital for a few weeks for surgery.
Before she went, she asked me to make breakfast for my family every morning and taught me how to make miso soup, starting with dashi (Japanese soup stock) made from small dried sardines called iriko, also known as niboshi.
I remember asking her why we needed to add them. She explained that dashi was what gave the soup its deep, savory flavor.
One morning, I was running late for school and skipped the iriko. I thought it probably wouldn't make that much of a difference. But as soon as I tasted the soup, I noticed it.
Something was missing.
The soup still tasted like miso but it didn't have the same depth or savory richness. That was the first time I truly realized how much of a difference umami could make in a dish.
That became one of the most important lessons my mom taught me about cooking:
Great flavor doesn't always come from adding more. Sometimes it's about bringing out what's already there.
As I got older, cooking became a bigger part of my life. I started experimenting with different cuisines and ingredients but the idea of building depth while bringing out the natural flavors of food stayed with me.
Years later, that lesson became part of the inspiration behind WHERE THE WILD THINGS EAT. I started this brand to share the world of umami I grew up with and bring a little more depth to the food we cook every day.
And it all started with a simple bowl of miso soup.
TASTE DEEPER - That is my motto.
mother and daughter
