The Japan Issue of Kinfolk is in!
We were so thrilled to receive the new issue of Kinfolk in the mail! It's a beautiful ode to Japan, with all of the usual photographs, recipes, essays, and anecdotes we've come to expect from the expertly curated publication. In the editor's words, this volume is a love letter to a "unique country, including the basic values, skills and recipes that come together to form the beautifully simple lifestyle."
Some of the most interesting stories include:
- An interview with Fog Linen’s Yumiko Sekine
- Recipes for Cherry Blossom Macarons with Black Sesame, Salt-Pickled Napa Cabbage, Wakame Cucumber Salad, Red Bean Mochi and Matcha
- Harvest essays on green tea, wakame seaweed, and wasabi.
- A guide for learning shibori (hand dyeing indigo fabric) and creating beautiful floral arrangements using ikebana.
- Thoughtful essays on Japanese concepts such as wabisabi, mono no aware, and ichi-go ichi-e.
- A summer playlist.
And the bonus? A profile on Oakland's Ramen Shop! Too cool.
We only have ten copies here at the shop, so come on over and claim yours. Hope you enjoy thumbing through this issue as much as we did.
A Studio Visit with JFish Designs
Some of our favorite pottery in the whole dang world is made by Jennifer Fish of JFish Designs (check out her cute stuff in our shop, above!). We were excited to be able to visit her studio yesterday down at the Berkeley Potters Guild! She's busy coming up with tons of new designs for the holidays, and engrossed in slipcasting all sorts of cool ceramic tableware.
Jennifer has a super interesting background, with degrees in Engineering Psychology at Tufts University and Industrial Design at Pratt Institute. She was a product designer for years and years, spending some time at Smart Design where she worked with companies like OXO, Hewlett Packard, and Toyota. She also worked on kitchenware products for brands like KitchenAid and Cuisinart as an industrial designer at Lifetime Brands.
It was awesome to see Jennifer in her environment, and to get a little taste of her creative process. Come on down to the shop to check out her goods live and in person.
Home Kitchen Linens! A Q&A with Studiopatró Designer, Christina Weber
Emmy's Pickles – Back in Stock!
You all liked Emmy's Pickles so much, we sold out! So, we ordered a bunch more and got to meet Emmy in person when she dropped off the loot the other day. Turns out she's a San Francisco native with a passion for combing the farmer's markets for beautiful organic produce worthy of brining.
From big ol' whole dills to more nontraditional preserves like her turmeric infused cauliflower, she has been pickling away since her college days in New York. Lucky for us, she's back in the Bay Area and sharing the goodness. Her pickles even recently won her a Good Food Award.
Here's what we've got in stock. These make great hostess gifts!
Golden Beets
Jalapeño and Carrots
Turmeric Cauliflower
Whole Dills
Bread n' Butter Pickles
And by the way, if you haven't seen the Portlandia sketch "We Can Pickle That," you should really give it a watch.