Sense of Community and Giving Back...

I am Chinese. And that makes me very proud.

With Chinese New Year just around the corner, the Year of the Golden Ox (my year), it adds to my self-reflection and humble affection towards things to come. I read, for the Ox it is a time to reap the benefits of the cumulative efforts made year in, year out. It sounds to be a positive year, where hard work is rewarded but regardless, and with the wrath of the current situation, we must always perservere to persist.

I am grateful for the work opportunities, collaborations and partnerships that allow me to creatively express myself while working closely with different communities. I am ExCiTed to be in an upcoming Chinese feature where I share my home cooking in an auspicious dish to celebrate our new year and to talk about some community things I am involved in and how I'm looking to do more.

Sharing a little bit of what I am working on... The Neighbourhood Table At Home rocks on with a further United Way grant to support a new six weeks Winter Program at St.Philip's Lutheran Church. This is a wonderful at-home initiative that started the past spring to help combat food insecurity in the Etobicoke neighbourhoods with volunteers from the church delivering to homes fresh produce boxes from @foodshareto. Similar to our fall program, this time we have two offerings every week- an online healthy cooking food skills workshop with me for 45 families, and a paper health assessment followed by recipes/tips and telephone call to 25 seniors conducted by my partner Sandy.

Here's to sharing good food at home safely together! Looking forward to our partnership again with Arab community @acctonline and East European community @polycultural!

The scene at the church on the first day of the Fall Launch.

I'm looking forward to sharing more good food recipes and practical tips families could use!

Awww, what a cutie!

Healthy Bentou Box Extraordinaire...

First off Happy New Year to all my friends and readers! Shy is the oyster, fervent is the clam, peaceful is the ocean floor rocked by the sands of time. -- Bradley Chicho

May we be the ocean floor in the new year. There is a Japanese saying on resilience- nana korobi ya oki- fall down 7 times, get up 8. No matter how difficult things may be, we have to keep going! Blessings to you all (❁´◡`❁)*✲ﾟ* 💕.

Look at these colourful, varied and healthy bentou boxes galore for dinner to celebrate a special birthday at home 🇯🇵🍱!

Not just any bento, but meticulously cooked and prepared by Japanese community-loved 80 year old Chef Ishii-san. A catering business he helms with his 80 year old wife, son, niece and the help of friends and my Japanese sister-in-law. The thing that makes his bentos top-notch and incomparable to others in the city is that he constructs his with 30 different types of ingredients to align with Japan's health experts recommending to eat 30 different types of food a day. Each food is uniquely seasoned and delicately cooked, and then beautifully presented in compartments for takeout. They often make 150 to 400 bentos at a time 😯, and you can only imagine how labourous that becomes! He wakes up early in the morning to start prepping and doesn't finish until late in the day with some recipes requiring two days in advance prep. 

I caught wind that he was heading into his second retirement this February, and I had to try his tasty bento one more time. Second retirement because his loyal clientele especially from JCCC (Japanese Cultural Community Centre) didn't allow him to stop cooking, and I just heard now that he may never retire... The demand is too strong! I wish him and his wife well as he has dedicated his whole life to his craft (he use to own a Japanese restaurant), and has the respect of so many in the Japanese community. Sending my deepest blessings! 

Perfect also to ring in 2021, Osechi Ryori are traditional foods enjoyed on New Year’s day in Japan. They come in an assortment of colourful dishes packed together in special boxes called jubako, which resemble bento boxes. Every dish has special meaning in welcoming the New Year. I see Chef Ishii-san has included rolled omelets, seafood and beans which are all auspicious good food! Arrigato gozaimasu 💖🙏!

To order take-out, email info.toriichi@gmail.com.

I have spent less time on social, doing my own things and getting ready for some more food projects on the horizon. Will be back to update 🥰! Be well. Eat well.