Japanese Umami Workshop: Discover Koji, Amazake & Salt Koji

A guided tasting and learning workshop all about koji and Japanese fermentation. For home cooks, chefs, and foodies of all backgrounds!
About this Event

The Japanese Umami Workshop by Long Beach Koji introduces you to the world of koji — the ancient Japanese fermentation culture that creates natural sweetness, aroma, and deep savory flavor. You’ll explore how koji’s enzymes transform simple ingredients into nutrient‑rich, umami‑packed foods.

This workshop blends culture, science, and sensory experience to help you understand — and taste — how koji and umami elevate everyday cooking.

An Interactive Workshop for the Koji-curious

Monday, August 3, 2026, 1:00pm-3:00pm

During the workshop, you will...

• learn the basics of cooking with koji from a Japanese fermentation expert
• enjoy freshly made amazake
• take part in a guided umami tasting
• learn how ingredients like kombu (kelp), shiitake, and katsuobushi (bonito flakes) build layers of savory depth
• get hands‑on experience making your own salt koji

Every participant will go home with 1 pound of fresh organic koji from Long Beach Koji, ready to use in your own cooking.

What is Umami?

Umami is the fifth basic taste — savory, rich, and deeply satisfying. It comes from natural glutamates found in foods like mushrooms, kombu (seaweed), and koji. First identified in Japan in 1908, umami signals “protein” to the human body and gives foods their comforting depth and roundness.

Who is Long Beach Koji?

Long Beach Koji was founded by Masako Kodama, a certified Japanese Fermentation Professional. Her work blends scientific precision with the cultural heritage of Japanese fermentation, bringing koji to Southern California in a way that is both authentic and accessible. Long Beach Koji produces fresh, small batch koji made from organic rice grown in California by Lopes Family Farm, and crafted in collaboration with Sawtelle Sake in Los Angeles. We offer educational workshops and are developing partnerships with local chefs and restaurateurs to explore new ways of bringing traditional Japanese koji into modern cooking.