New York City’s Japanese sushi masters unite at Umi to cook together and share the popular Pride of Japan dinner with Atlanta on Sunday, Nov. 13, thanks to an invitation from Umi chef Fuyuhiko Ito. The dinner celebrates washoku, the best in Japanese culture and cuisine, known for following centuries-old cooking techniques and using seasonal ingredients. The renowned chefs joining Ito and pastry chef Lisa Ito are from three of New York’s finest Japanese restaurants. Chef Kazu Yoshida from 1 or 8, called “Brooklyn’s Finest Sushi Counter” by Bloomberg Pursuits, has numerous accolades from restaurant critics and guests alike; chef Kunihide Nakajima is from Jado Sushi, named “Best Sushi” in 2015 by The Village Voice; and Hakata Tonton's famed chef Koji Hagihara is known for his authentic Kyushu Japanese soul food. The omakase dinner of chef-selected dishes paired with sake is $200 per guest. Only 80 seats are available, spread over four seatings. For reservations and seating times, call 404-841-0040. Valid credit card information is required to secure a reservation. Please note that additional alcohol and tax are not included. The regular menu will not be available, and chefs kindly ask that no substitutions are made.
A sold-out, all-star chef dinner hosted by food writer Kate Parham Kordsmeier and photographer Heidi Geldhauser, held May 1 at Umi, raised nearly $24,000 for charity. The inaugural event for the Emily Cameron Art Scholarship, honoring the late photographer Emily Cameron, gave $10,000 to Atlanta-based painter Natalie Escobar. Kordsmeier and Geldhauser, along with Cameron’s parents, established the scholarship to change the life of a service-industry worker pursuing a career in the arts. The remaining $14,000 in proceeds was donated to The Giving Kitchen to go toward crisis grants for members of Atlanta’s restaurant community facing unanticipated hardship. Some of Atlanta’s most-celebrated chefs, including Fuyuhiko and Lisa Ito of Umi, Gerry Klaskala of Aria and Joey Ward of Gunshow, united to prepare the multi-course meal at Umi. To toast the occasion, Gunshow’s Mercedes O’Brien mixed a signature cocktail named “The Emily,” featuring bourbon, SHISO liqueur, honey, lemon, seltzer and strawberry absinthe ice pearls.
