{"product_id":"supper-club-japanese-inspired-harvest-by-caroline-ishii","title":"SUPPER CLUB: Japanese-Inspired Autumn Harvest by Caroline Ishii","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCaroline Ishii\u003c\/strong\u003e grew up in Toronto as a third-generation Japanese Canadian, or \u003cem\u003esansei\u003c\/em\u003e, and some of her strongest memories of home are tied to food. Her mother was born in Vancouver, but after losing her parents at a young age, she was sent to live with relatives in Japan; when she later returned to Canada and reunited with her siblings in Toronto, she recreated the food she missed using the Japanese and local ingredients she could find. Caroline's relationship with her mother wasn't always easy, but food was one of the places where they connected — her mother showed her how to make Japanese food, and somewhere along the way, Caroline developed the same love for those flavours.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePerhaps that's why autumn feels so meaningful to her. In Japan, the seasons are deeply connected to how people eat, and autumn is one of the great food seasons — newly harvested rice, mushrooms, \u003cem\u003ekabocha\u003c\/em\u003e, sweet potatoes, chestnuts, and persimmons. Caroline feels much the same way walking through a Toronto farmers' market in the fall: she wants to taste everything, and preserve some of that abundance before it disappears. That instinct is what brings her to \u003cem\u003etakuwan\u003c\/em\u003e, the Japanese daikon pickle she'll be serving at this dinner — for her, it carries memories of Japanese Canadian families adapting their traditions through difficult times, preserving what they had and keeping a taste of culture alive.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor this supper, Caroline is bringing together the Japanese home cooking she grew up with and the autumn harvest she loves cooking with today. These aren't necessarily the dishes you'd find on a restaurant menu — they're inspired by comforting, homemade food meant to be shared. The entire menu is vegan, but as with the food she served at her own restaurant and how she continues to cook today, the point is simple: the food must be delicious and beautiful, made with care and \u003cem\u003ekokoro\u003c\/em\u003e (heart).\u003cbr\u003e-----\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e🌱 This menu is plant-based.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eYaki Mushroom Onigiri Ochazuke \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003eCrispy mushroom rice ball in broth.\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cbr\u003eA play on \u003cem\u003eochazuke\u003c\/em\u003e, the classic Japanese comfort dish of rice steeped in hot tea or broth, with a pan-seared mushroom onigiri and a fragrant green tea–dashi broth with kimchi-'cheese'.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKinpira Lettuce Cup\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGreen beans, carrot, \u003cem\u003egobo\u003c\/em\u003e (\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eburdock root) and \u003cem\u003earame\u003c\/em\u003e seaweed, stir fried in a light soy-sesame-maple glaze and served in crisp lettuce.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHarvest Dengaku Donburi\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003eHarvest rice bowl\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/em\u003eCranberry–miso glazed, thick \u003cem\u003eatsuage\u003c\/em\u003e tofu in the style of \u003cem\u003edengaku\u003c\/em\u003e — a centuries-old method of grilling skewers brushed with sweet miso. Served alongside tender \u003cem\u003ekabocha no nimono \u003c\/em\u003e(\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003esimmered local kabocha squash), over\u003cem\u003e \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan data-token-index=\"0\" class=\"notion-enable-hover\"\u003e\u003cem\u003ehakko genmai, \u003c\/em\u003ea tradtional macrobiotic preparation of\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eorganic brown rice delicately \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003efermented with azuki beans, revered for its nutritive properties and complex flavour. Garnished with a homemade shiso and roasted sesame \u003cem\u003efurikake\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003c!-- notionvc: 5fda5e82-2c3e-420a-bf39-7b02ee446766 --\u003eserved with \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eCaroline's homemade \u003cem\u003etakuwan \u003c\/em\u003eand \u003cem\u003eshio koji\u003c\/em\u003e pickles.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDorayaki with Azuki \u0026amp; Matcha\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003eSweet red bean–chestnut paste \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003epancakes with matcha cream.\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cbr\u003eTwo pillowy Japanese pancakes sandwiching sweetened \u003cem\u003eazuki\u003c\/em\u003e (red bean) and chestnut paste, with with luxurious matcha cream.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMatcha-Ginger Chocolate Truffle\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOrganic fair trade chocolate truffle coated with matcha and filled with candied ginger.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGenmaicha Tea\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJapanese green tea with roasted brown rice — a must for all Japanese home meals\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e-----\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCaroline Ishii\u003c\/strong\u003e is a writer, award-winning chef, and storyteller whose work explores food, memory, identity, healing, and belonging. She is the founder and executive chef of \u003cem\u003eZenKitchen\u003c\/em\u003e, Canada's first vegan whole-foods fine-dining restaurant, named Best New Restaurant of the Year. At Gold Medal Plates, she earned two silver medals and made history as the first woman chef to compete in Ottawa, and the first to present a vegan dish in the competition's history. She was also host of the 13-part reality-documentary series \u003cem\u003eThe Restaurant Adventures of Caroline and Dave\u003c\/em\u003e (W Network, OWN, Asia Food Channel), and author of \u003cem\u003eRendezvous: Stories of Love, Loss, Identity and Belonging\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Accidental Chef\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eCanadian Vegan Recipes\u003c\/em\u003e (published in Japanese). \u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/carolineishii.com\"\u003ecarolineishii.com\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/carolineishii\/\"\u003e@carolineishii\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e-----\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Depanneur\u003c\/strong\u003e is where \u003cem\u003eInteresting Food Things\u003c\/em\u003e happen. For more than a decade The Dep has been showcasing Toronto's remarkable culinary diversity by hosting unique food events. \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/thedepanneur\"\u003e@thedepanneur\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c!-- notionvc: 347eda79-a3b2-4ae4-b7d3-e34f32b1ca3c --\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Depanneur","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67537708220664,"sku":null,"price":79.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0732\/8101\/1960\/files\/Yaki-Onigiri-Ochazuke-3179-III-800x1200_jpg_3513e7bf-f22b-4d91-a555-057bf0a8de59.avif?v=1790616372","url":"https:\/\/thedepanneur.ca\/products\/supper-club-japanese-inspired-harvest-by-caroline-ishii","provider":"The Depanneur","version":"1.0","type":"link"}