I will be home from Japan soon. It has been a great trip so far. But I can’t wait to get back in the kitchen! Also looking forward to the exciting Bite of PhinneyWood on September 17. I will be offering a special mini onigiri bento. Come join us!

Authentic Japanese Home Cooking
We participated in the Comminity Market at Hyphen Asian Food and Culture in Belltown last Saturday. It was in the middle of the long holiday weekend, and what a great turn-out! We sold out within the first couple of hours!
We offered a variety of onigiri using Koshihikari from Fukui and brown rice from Great Rice, including Kozmo’s favorites Eggplant Miso, Beef & Burdock, and Asparagus Kimpira with organic brown rice from Great Rice, LLC. But the featured onigiri was Iburi Gakko and Smoked Provolone cheese.
Iburi Gakko is a smoked radish pickle. It’s a speciality from my hometown Akita, so you can’t find it in the US. Well, you could, but some of them are “fake,” meaning they add artificial flavors and additives. Making real natural iburi gakko is a lengthy process (takes months to make) and labor intensive. So you should read the nutrition facts of the product carefully. I brought mine back from Japan. That fact itself makes this onigiri very special, but the very smokey aroma from the chopped pickles and smoked cheese is quite a unique experience as onigiri flavors.
It was a great fun being inside such a cool space filled with Asian artisan crafts and food items. I was also grateful to see old friends and Kozmo’s regular bento customers in person.
Because we sold out early, hopefully there will be another opportunity in the future to connect with more people to enjoy our onigiri with love!
A lot of you have asked, so I’ve decided to have a sushi making class!
Let’s get together and learn how to make home-cooking style sushi for your family dinner or hosting a sushi party!
You’ll learn how to make sushi rice (the most important skill to learn), followed by several sushi styles that you can enjoy making at home such as:
Nori Maki (sushi rolls – traditional, reversed)
Temaki (hand rolls)
Temari Sushi (sushi balls)
Purchase your tickets HERE!
Date: June 3, Saturday, 2023
Time: 10:30am – 12:30pm / 5:30pm – 7:30pm (Choose Day or Evening Class)
Place: Haller Lake United Methodist Church Kitchen
Fee: $100 per person
NOTE: Please choose “Haller Lake Household” for the pickup location.
All ages are welcome, but we will use sharp knives and depending on the height of the person, you might need to bring a step-stool. Please ask first about minor participants.
New Japanese Cooking Class at Haller Lake Community Club!
Let’s have fun together while learning how to make Japanese traditional finger food, onigiri!
What you’ll learn in the class:
Date: April 16 (Sun), 2023
Time: 10:30am – 12:00pm
Place: Haller Lake Community Club Kitchen
Fee: $70
Please reserve your seats by making a payment to Venmo (@Kanako-Koizumi) or contacting us at info@kozmokitchen.com.
Or for an easy sign-up, go to https://shop.kozmokitchen.com/collections/upcoming-meals-1/products/cooking-class-lets-make-onigiri
Location: 12579 Densmore Avenue North, Seattle, WA
What an amazing summer month we had! The August bento popup and catering events were full of excitement, happy energy and new connections with so many wonderful customers.
With the finish of the hectic month, I am off to Japan again to see my family, celebrate my father’s 90th birthday and do some culinary research! So Kozmo Kitchen is closed in the month of September.
Please stay tuned for updates on when we will back with Kozmo’s virtual storefront. My dream is still to find a more permanent way to make people happy through Japanese Home Cooking. The environment is very challenging, but I will be exploring possibilities. I appreciate your patience and support.
As for private cooking classes, catering and personal chef services, we will be open again in October when I return. So, please send your inquiries to info@kozmokitchen.com.
Thank you very much for your love and support always. We’ll see you again!
After going through the two-week quarantine period and having much-needed family time and taking a time-off for myself for one and a half month in Japan, I am back in Seattle!
Thank you for all the interests on catering and food delivery services received while I was away. Unfortunately Kozmo Kitchen is still closed and it will remain closed for catering services until further notice. However, we will be open one week for bento/meal offerings in March from March 11th (Thu) through March 13th (Sun). Confirmation will be announced shortly. Currently there’s no plan for April and later at this point. Stay tuned!
I am so very grateful for having been able to connect with many of you with my homecooking style bentos and meals before and during the pandemic. All your warm, happy comments and encouragement were the fuel for me to keep running in the last couple of years.
With the new year started (a few months have passed already!), I’ve decided to make some changes for Kozmo Kitchen. I’d like to try something new, which might require frequent out-of-state travels. I also need to take care of my health and spend more time for research to grow and expand my knowledge on health, nuturition and wellbeing that food can contribute and nurture. I look forward to sharing more soon!
We are grateful that we have served quite a few events at the Seattle Japanese Garden in the past. And this contribution is definitely the largest in scale and one of the most memorable for everyone in the Kozmo Kitchen team.
Seattle Japanese Garden hosted their 60th Anniversary party on August 12th. In human age, 60th birthday is called Kanreki, a significant milestone in many Asian cultures including Japan. It’s known that the birthday person is dressed in red in the celebration.
To honor the red color, the bento used a red elastic band with very intricate decorative ornament called Mizuhiki, made by the Garden volunteers. To match the special presentation, we decided to make Shokado Style bento. The challenge there was, we were supposed to make 200 of them! Well, we did it, thanks to all the amazing people who helped us.
We are so glad we successfully delivered 200 shokado bentos to the garden in time. And thank you again for everyone involved to make it happen!
Last year, Mother’s Day was our biggest weekend ever. And why not, there’s no better way to show Mom your love and appreciation than with authentic Japanese Home Cooking!
Last year’s Mother’s Day bento (pictured above) featured our classic Karaage Chicken, dreamy deep fried Potato Croquette and an assortment of fresh, hand crafted vegetable dishes. This year, we’re back with another Kozmo Kitchen special: Mother’s Day Bento With Rikyu Manju.
This hearty bento is packed with 12 delicious items. The star of the show is our Rikyu Manju dessert bun, which features luscious hand fashioned organic Adzuki Bean filling. Please have a look at the full menu below. Mother’s Day bentos are going super fast, so get yours in now at our commerce page.
Also, please sign up for our mailing list to receive our weekly menu updates. Every week we offer a mix of yummy bento boxes, traditional favorites and seasonal specials.
Mother’s Day is in a couple weeks, but you can dive into bento now! This weekend’s menu features Wafu Hambagu Dinner (with yummy Teriyaki or Oroshi Ponzu sauce), Onigiri Bento and much more!
Mother’s Day Dinner Bento
Shio Koji Karaage Chicken
塩麹唐揚げ
Sous Vide Roast Beef Japanese Style
和風ローストビーフ
Spring Roll with asparagus and smoke cheese
アスパラガスと燻製チーズの春巻き
Salmon yuan Yaki
鮭の幽庵焼き
Tamago Yaki or Ajitama
卵焼き
Uno Hana (Okara) With dried scallop
干し貝柱入り卯の花
Potato Salad with Shrimp
海老入りポテトサラダ
Honey Lemon Satsuma Yam, Carrot, and Komatsu Na green
さつまいものレモン煮、小松菜、にんじん
Red Cabbage Slaw
紫キャベツラペ
Homemade Organic Tofu Hiyayakko
自家製オーガニック豆腐
Bamboo Shoot and Fresh English Pea Rice
たけのことグリンピースの炊き込みご飯
Rikyu Manju with organic adzuki paste filling
自家製こしあんの利休まんじゅう
No Substitution, Sorry.
Of course, you know Seattle Japanese Garden at Washington Park Arboretum is one of the most beautiful places in Seattle. And one of the best to host an event!
So, we were humbled and pleased that they would ask Kozmo Kitchen to provide catering for their own private event this past Sunday morning, a breakfast buffet for 30 guests. What a great way for us to cater a traditional Japanese breakfast for the first time.
We prepared a 13-course meal for an outdoor buffet, including Salmon, Tamago, three kinds of Onigiri and yummy miso soup with fresh corn and okra. We ended up serving indoors due to bad weather, but the Tateuchi Room offers a perfect setting for a warm, wonderful gathering.
Special thank you to Akiko’s Pottery for letting us use your beautiful pottery!
Shoyu Ramen at Sunset.
Miso Ramen with sautéed vegetables, fresh corn and butter.
Learn how to make these delicious home style ramen at PCC Cooks locations.
Sign up at https://www.pccmarkets.com/class/authentic-ramen-at-home
I am a Japanese native following her dream of bringing Japanese home cooking to Seattle. I love sharing the culinary traditions I grew up with. Making people happy through great food and dining experiences. And creating that feeling of family and home that only a nurturing hand crafted meal can provide. I see a world where everyone can make Japanese home cooking a part of everyday life that brings warmth, comfort and joy. Please allow me to share it with you.