“We wanted to be known as a sake bar more than a chicken wing place; but, somehow now, people from all over the world come just for our chicken wings.” 

Meet Azuki Yamashita, the owner of Kasadela Izakaya in NYC’s East Village, the place to go for an “addicting” platter of Tebasaki, a very specific style of umami-infused Japanese fried chicken wings. When Azuki first moved to the U.S., she was very surprised that many Americans thought Japanese people mostly ate sushi, ramen and shabu-shabu. She explained that in her culture, those foods were usually reserved for special occasions, which is why she felt compelled to expose New Yorkers to real, everyday Japanese food, the kind of food she grew up on. So, in 2005, she came on board to manage Kasadela, a newly-opened, authentic, casual, Japanese home-cooking establishment, where the food was as important as the drinks.

But, it was a hard sell. Back then, it was unfamiliar food. People were tentative to try it. The restaurant wasn’t doing well financially; they knew they needed something special on the menu to draw in customers. But what could that one thing be?

Well…believe it or not, as always, a mom saved the day. The original owner’s mom had the brilliant idea to introduce Tebasaki to Americans, thinking that no one could resist the flavor of her very own Nagoya-style chicken wings recipe. True home-cooking! And since then, it’s been bringing in repeat local customers, fried chicken connoisseurs, and Japanese clientele into their doors just for the taste of it. Funny enough, Azuki, who became the new owner in 2009, and Stanley, the bartender, love talking about the instant effect of Tebasaki on diners: that as soon as the plate hits the table, everyone goes silent. Customers temporarily enter this “transcendental state” of meditation and focus on the chicken wings – a reaction that always makes them laugh. So, get on it and enjoy the video already!

Now, I might be new to Tebasaki, but the feeling of fried chicken satisfaction I felt, when I first ate them, won’t get old. I was introduced to Kasadela by my friend Tiffany who helped curate the vendors at this year’s GoogaMooga festival. GoogaMooga will be showcasing Kasadela’s Tebasaki wings at their food festival this weekend. I hope you seek them out!

Thanks for watching food. curated.! Happy Eating!

“Raising kids is really hard work, and if we can make it a little easier for parents to feed their babies better, then I think we’re doing the right thing.”

Meet Claire Hoyt, the founder, CEO and mom behind Big Dipper Baby Food, an artisan baby food company based in San Francisco. Claire’s got big dreams, big dreams that could benefit babies and parents all over the country. She believes all babies have the right to healthier, more seasonal, more local, better tasting baby food. She also believes that good palate development can start at an early age, and last a lifetime  (just ask her about her own son!).

All in all, Big Dipper Baby Food is Claire’s mission to make a difference, one little mouthful at a time. Enjoy her story!

The Next Big Small Brand Event is March 27th at BAM in Brooklyn. This is the last of 6 finalist videos I’m making for the contest. Come out and support small food artisans!

Thanks for watching food. curated.! Happy Eating!

“You know, for us, it was never really an option to buy our kids products, like Capri Sun, that we felt were really loaded down with sugars and unnatural ingredients…”

Meet Amy & Tom Barnouw, the co-founders of Planet Fuel, an organic fruit juice company based in Fairfield, Connecticut. Tom and Amy are parents. Parents to three adorable little kids. They met out on the West Coast, are both lovers of nature and big supporters of environmental issues – she used to even work for environmental non-profits as a career before she became a mom. Planet Fuel, you could say, is their 4th baby, a company born out of the frustration of raising kids without enough readily available natural juice options in the marketplace.

Enjoy their story!

Planet Fuel is available in close to 70 stores throughout Connecticut and New Jersey, to purchase Planet Fuel for for more information, click here.

The Next Big Small Brand Event is March 27th at BAM in Brooklyn. This is the 5th of 6 finalist videos I’m making for the contest. Come out and support small food artisans!

Thanks for watching food. curated.! Happy Drinking! 

“I think what we’re doing is important, it’s important for chocolate. And it’s important for us that this type of chocolate is known about.”

Meet Todd Masonais, the co-founder and chocolate maker behind Dandelion Chocolate in San Francisco, a very special, small-batch chocolate company dedicated to nothing else but sharing the pure flavor of the cacao bean.

I must say, I never realized how romantic making chocolate could be until I got some close-ups of the process. Todd is such an interesting character and I just love his passion for picking out the nuances of a cacao bean. When I was there, he walked me through a chocolate taste test, and I was blown away with the complexity of each bean he presented. He’s right, you don’t need to add anything to make chocolate taste great when the beans are as good as theirs. And to guarantee such award-winning flavors, Todd and his team spend a great deal of time visiting cacao farms, meeting cacao farmers and testing out beans from around the world before deciding which ones get labeled: Dandelion Chocolate.

Hope you enjoy their story! For their chocolate bars, you can visit select retailers out on the West Coast, mostly near or around San Francisco. And the good word is, they’ll be available in a number of New York shops soon too.

The Next Big Small Brand Contest Tasting + Judging Event is March 27th at BAM in Brooklyn. This is the 4th of 6 finalist videos I’m making for the contest. Come out and support small food artisans!

Thanks for watching food. curated.! Happy Chocolate Eating!

“We have a pie shape for every hunger level and every need.”

Meet Cheryl Perry and Felipa Lopez, the founders and bakers behind Pie Corps, an artisan, farm to table pie company based in Brooklyn, New York. Their tag line reads: “Ready to Roll”- and that’s just how they’ve operated – going with the flow, being optimistic, conquering any obstacle to keep their pie business going since first opening in May 2011. As long-time friends and kitchen collaborators, they’ve always believed opening a food business together was their destiny; and after making pies one summer, something just clicked.

Enjoy their story! To taste Pie Corps’ delicious pie crust and traditional pie fillings with a twist,  you can order them online, or visit one of their retail locations in New York here. There’s a reason I ended the video on their Chocolate Pudding Pie w/Rosemary Caramel and Sea Salt. You HAVE to try it. It’s not only a chocolate lover’s dream, but just one of those rare food moments in life where you just nod your head, say a little thanks, and think to yourself: “I wouldn’t change a thing.”

The Next Big Small Brand Contest Tasting + Judging Event is March 27th at BAM in Brooklyn. This is the 3rd of 6 finalist videos I’m making for the contest. Come out and support small food artisans!

Thanks for watching food. curated.! Happy eating!