Umami
Your hands. Real ingredients. One unforgettable meal.
A single evening
Four moments. One kitchen. An evening you'll carry home.
Shoes off. Tea poured. The evening begins.
You arrive to the sound of a timer ticking and the smell of dashi coming to a simmer. Someone hands you a small cup of hojicha before you've even said hello. Ingredients are arranged across the counter like a still life — daikon, shiso, a block of sashimi-grade yellowtail wrapped in washi paper.
Classes begin at 6:30 PM. Arrive five minutes early and we'll have tea waiting.
Knife skills, patience, and the art of the julienne.
The instructor walks you through grip and angle — how the knife should glide rather than press, how the sound changes when your technique is right. Vegetables are julienned into fine, even ribbons. Broth is tasted from a wooden spoon and adjusted, slowly.
Every student gets a dedicated station with a Japanese gyuto knife and a hinoki cutting board.
Steam, sizzle, and the sound of a full kitchen.
The room fills with the hiss of gyoza hitting a cast-iron pan. Someone's ramen broth is reducing to a glossy caramel. There's laughter — someone's fold came undone, someone else's turned out perfect. The instructor moves through the kitchen, adjusting heat here, showing a wrist motion there.
Small groups of six mean the instructor can reach every station.
Everyone seated around the meal they just made.
The counter is cleared. Bowls are set. Chopsticks raised. You eat together — the six strangers who arrived an hour ago are now comparing folds and debating the ratio of rice vinegar to sugar in the sushi seasoning. The meal tastes better because you made it with your hands.
Every class ends with a shared meal. Sake and plum wine available to purchase.
What you'll make
Four classes. Each one a complete evening.
Reserve Your SeatSushi & Sashimi
The art of rice, fish, and restraint
Master nigiri technique, futomaki rolling, and the precise seasoning of sushi rice. You'll leave knowing how to source fish, store it, and slice it with confidence.
Ramen from Scratch
Tonkotsu, shoyu, and the broth beneath
Izakaya Night
Small plates, big flavors
Seasonal Omakase
Chef's selection, ingredient-led
From the kitchen
What people carry home.
"I've done cooking classes on three continents. This was the first time I left knowing I could actually recreate what we made — and wanting to do it again the following weekend."
Priya Nair
Home cook, San Francisco
Sushi & Sashimi
"We came for my partner's birthday and ended up booking the ramen class for the following month. The instructor has this way of making technique feel like storytelling."
Marcus Webb
Graphic designer, Oakland
Izakaya Night"As a Japanese expat in the US, I was skeptical. But the dashi was right, the rice seasoning was right, and for three hours I was home."
Yuki Tanaka
Product manager, Seattle
Seasonal Omakase
"The gyoza fold took me twenty minutes to get right and I've never felt more accomplished in a kitchen. Came alone, left with three new friends."
Devon Okafor
Teacher, Portland
Ramen from ScratchJoin us
Reserve your seat at the counter.
Six students per class. Every seat matters. Pick a date, choose your class, and we'll send everything you need to know.
Booking as a gift?
Sushi & Sashimi
Sat, Mar · 6:30 PM · 4 spots remaining