IN-PERSON EVENT
Join author Hannah Kirshner and sake brewer Shinobu Kato for an evening of saké tasting, talk, and a little cooking.
Each fall, Kirshner leaves Brooklyn to help make saké at Shishi no sato, a 14th-generation brewery in Ishikawa, Japan. The job began as research for “Water, Wood, and Wild Things,” her book about the people—artisans, farmers, hunters, and foragers—making the culture and community of Yamanaka Onsen, a mountain town near the Japan Sea. She’ll discuss differences and similarities between brewing on two continents with Shinobu Kato, who began making saké at home after moving to the US, eventually opening his sakagura in Brooklyn.
Light snacks will be served alongside glasses of Kato Sake Works Junmai, and guests will learn how to make miso-cured eggs using sake kasu, a byproduct of brewing. Shishi no Sato saké is not yet available in the US, but Kirshner has hand-carried enough for each guest to have a tiny taste.
This is event is in conjunction with an exhibition of crafts from Yamanaka Onsen and illustrations from “Water, Wood, and Wild Things” on view in the Gallery at the Ace Hotel Brooklyn from April 1–29.
This is an in-person event. Tickets must be purchased online in advance. Tickets will not be available for purchase at the door.
You must show photo ID and proof of COVID vaccine to attend this event.
Doors open at 6:30pm ET. Program begins promptly at 7:00pm ET. 21+.
Water, Wood, and Wild Things: Learning Craft and Cultivation in a Japanese Mountain Town by Hannah Kirshner is available for order with your ticket. Your book can be redeemed and signed by the author at the event. You can also purchase a book at the event from our partners, Kitchen Arts & Letters.
HANNAH KIRSHNER
Hannah Kirshner is a writer, artist, and food stylist whose work has appeared in The New York Times, Food & Wine, and Food52 among others. She is the author of Water, Wood, and Wild Things. Kirshner grew up on a small farm outside Seattle, and studied painting at the Rhode Island School of Design. She divides her time between Brooklyn and rural Ishikawa, Japan, where she’s a seasonal kurabito (sake brewery worker.)
SHINOBU KATO
Shinobu Kato is the owner and brewer of Kato Sake Works, a craft sake brewery in Bushwick, Brooklyn, a neighborhood that reminds him of his hometown Koenji, Tokyo, where he frequented izakayas for cheap eats and good sake. Kato left Japan in 2004 and held management positions in global companies in the US, Canada, and India, but his passion for sake led him to leave his corporate job and move to NYC. He opened Kato Sake Works in April 2020 with the goal of offering local sake enjoyed genuinely.
DEMO KITCHEN BY ACE HOTEL BROOKLYN
A well-appointed canvas for culinary and community engagement, Demo Kitchen by Ace Hotel is a locus of epicurean culture — dedicated to cooking, connection and above all, community. A light-filled space with floor to ceiling windows, Demo Kitchen features an induction cooking station from Kaliber Innovations, an array of state-of-the-art audiovisual production equipment, and is furnished with custom oak classroom and dining tables crafted by Finnish furniture design collective Made By Choice. Demo Kitchen has capacity for 96 people and is also available for private rental.
WANT TO STAY AT THE ACE HOTEL BROOKLYN?
Use the code "MOFAD" to receive approximately 10% off the Hotel’s best available rate, only at the Ace Hotel Brooklyn. Book here.
KITCHEN ARTS & LETTERS
Kitchen Arts & Letters is a bookstore devoted to food and drink, with titles imported from around the world. They emphasize works on food culture and innovation.