Chef Tomoko Tahara celebrates early summer with tea and foraged ingredients
Mæst Food's one-day tasting menu on June 28 explores seasonality through shincha, vegetables, and Japanese-Nordic culinary traditions.
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On June 28, Chef Tomoko Tahara of Mæst Food is marking the arrival of early summer through five plant-based courses built around this year's shincha—the first tea harvest of the season—in collaboration with Tsuen Tea, Japan's oldest tea house, operating since 1160.
The menu draws from both Japanese and New Nordic culinary traditions, two cultures that share deep respect for seasonality, preservation, and paying attention to what the landscape offers at a particular moment. Expect dishes like zucchini flower tempura, fermented young blueberry salad with sea asparagus and cucumber, roasted cabbage with black currant miso, and anmitsu (a refreshing Japanese cold dessert) finished with fig leaf blue jelly, cherry, and chocolate bean paste ice cream.
Tahara trained at MAD Academy in Copenhagen and interned at Inua in Tokyo, experience she channels through Mæst Food's small-scale, seasonally inspired dinners. What sets her work apart is her genuine curiosity about techniques like fermentation, preservation, and foraging—tools she uses to understand and express an ingredient, guided by respect for nature rather than trend.
The shincha will appear throughout the meal alongside cold brews, tea pairings, and alcohol-free cocktails. Limited seats are available at three seatings—12 p.m., 2:30 p.m., and 5:15 p.m. Tickets are $140 and include all five courses, tea pairings, and tea-based drinks.