In 1992, Cecelia Miller left her job in real estate and introduced her hand-stretched, made-to-order fry bread to Phoenix's culinary scene. Twenty years later, her restaurant, The Fry Bread House, earned a James Beard award.
Cecelia learned her fry bread technique from her mother while growing up on the Tohono O’odham Nation reservation in southern Arizona.
Sapporo, JP
The Beginning
1927
Daichi Sakamoto started cooking at age five, helping his mother prepare bentos for his father, younger sister, and himself. Chashu was never a missing component. Mother Sakamoto had learned how to make it when she studied abroad in Hong Kong. It was young Chef Sakamoto who mixed the marinade, a formula he perfected as he grew into his teens.
Many years later, he apprenticed under famed Chef Kazue Inoue at a luxury ryokan in the Nagano prefecture. There, he studied the art of kaiseki for seven years, and took a particular shine to the futamono and tome-wan soup-based dishes. His calling was starting to simmer.
Tokyo, JP
The First Venture
1998
Chef Sakamoto implored chef Fukui to share her methods. She said that she would only teach him the basics if he promised to bring the art of ramen abroad. He brought the proposition to his family, and his mother immediately urged him to go to Hong Kong.
The next week, Chef Sakamoto flew to the “Pearl City” and discovered that he felt more at home than ever. He knew that he could meld the umami flavors and smoky scents of Cantonese cuisine with the richness and nuances of ramen. He went back to Tokyo to learn from Chef Fukui, and with her blessing, returned to Hong Kong seven years later.
Hong Kong
A New Challenge
2016
Chef Sakamoto implored chef Fukui to share her methods. She said that she would only teach him the basics if he promised to bring the art of ramen abroad. He brought the proposition to his family, and his mother immediately urged him to go to Hong Kong.
The next week, Chef Sakamoto flew to the “Pearl City” and discovered that he felt more at home than ever. He knew that he could meld the umami flavors and smoky scents of Cantonese cuisine with the richness and nuances of ramen. He went back to Tokyo to learn from Chef Fukui, and with her blessing, returned to Hong Kong seven years later.
