Itamae - a cook or chef of high-end Japanese cuisine. The term, in the most literal sense refers to the chef who stands in front of the cutting board.
Join the North Vancouver Island Chef’s Association (NVICA) at the Market Saturday for another fabulous FoodFest event. Guest chef Avi Sternberg will be on site discussing the stories and recipes in his book itamae: My Life in Front of the Cutting Board.
Part memoir, itamae tells Avi’s story of how a motorcycle accident and a chance encounter with a dancing Japanese chef changed his life. Part biography, itamae recounts his journey as a young chef to Northern Japan and his apprenticeship, over a course of eight years, in some very demanding, uber-traditional Kaiseki (Japanese haute cuisine) kitchens.
Part culinary adventure itamae takes us from 2001 where Avi begins his training in a 150-year-old traditional Japanese Inn to Wa Yamamura, a small family run, three Michelin Star restaurant.
Itamae: My Life in Front of the Cutting Board is also a cookbook, chock full of recipes, covering a wide range of traditional Japanese dishes and cooking methods to his own delicious creations, inspired from the kitchens of Japanese cuisine.
Join us as we welcome chef Sternberg and the chefs from NVICA at this Saturday’s FoodFest celebration of East meets West at the Comox Valley Farmers’ Market. A range of samples featuring fresh Market product will be prepared for your tasting pleasure and Chef Sternberg will be signing copies of itamae – My Life in Front of the Cutting Board.