Pop-Up Dinner Party ft. Chef Kuniko Yagi

Join us for a special evening of culinary collaboration and community!

Cafe Gratitude Venice is thrilled to invite you to the next pop-up dinner party in our Chef Collaboration Series: A four-course plant-based dinner prepared by Chef Kuniko Yagi of PIKUNICO and Top Chef and our very own Chef Seizan Dreux Ellis.

Our chef collaboration dinners celebrate the art of cooking and the passion for plant-based cuisine! Each dish on our menu has been carefully crafted using the freshest ingredients to highlight the unique flavors and textures of Japanese cuisine.

You will have the opportunity to meet Chef Kuniko Yagi and Chef Seizan Dreux Ellis as they share their stories and inspirations for each course.

$110 per person ticket includes:

• Four-Course Japanese-Inspired Tasting Menu
• $20 Gift Card, redeemable at any of our Cafe Gratitude locations
• $10 Gift Card, redeemable at PIKUNICO

Uniquely curated tea & wine pairings are available for purchase at the door.

Solo diners are welcomed and encouraged!

Beverage Pairings Add-Ons

Tea Pairings +25

Wine Pairings +35

Japanese-Inspired Tasting Menu

AMUSE-BOUCHE

Yaki Onigiri | Tamari pickled shiitake, miso marinated tofu, dengaku miso, yuzu chili paste, nori

Wine Pairing: Rose - Lorenza, Lodi, California 2021

Tea Pairing: Burdock Root Tea

APPETIZER

Crispy Soba Salad | Salt preserved mizuna & chrysanthemum, kumquat, black sesame okra, wakame, tamari-cured cucumber, avocado

Wine Pairing: Chardonnay, Presqu’ile, Santa Maria, CA 2020

Tea Pairing: Toasted Buckwheat Tea

ENTRÉE

Japanese Brown Curry | Kabocha tempura, roasted daikon, spring vegetables, steamed brown rice

Wine Pairing: Touriga Franca/Tinta Roriz, LUIS SEABRA XISTO ILIMITADO , Portugal 2019

Tea Pairing: Japanese Shojin Consomme

DESSERT

Matcha and Strawberry Parfait | Shiratama mochi, okinawan black syrup

Who is Chef Kuniko Yagi?

Kuniko forged a unique path to a bright culinary career, growing up in Maebashi city in Japan and embarking on a traditional route to the structured world of banking. This brief but telling stint in finance led to the realization that her rebel heart yearned for a true creative outlet.

She departed her native Japan for Los Angeles, seeking inspiration that swiftly struck. With a natural artistic drive and nurtured affinity for gastronomy, Kuniko quickly unearthed her unmistakable talent and determined drive. She rapidly advanced through the ranks of the storied Sona restaurant’s kitchen in a few short years, from the amuse station to Chef de Cuisine. Kuniko later served as Executive Chef of a brasserie, Comme Ça West Hollywood, then heading up the kitchen of the award winning Hinoki & the Bird in Century City.

Kuniko appeared as a contestant on Bravo TV’s “Top Chef,” was named StarChef.com’s Rising Star in 2010, and has earned a number of critical accolades for her work with Hinoki & the Bird, including best new restaurant nods from Esquire, Bon Appetit, Los Angeles Magazine, Los Angeles Times, and more.

On December of 2018, Kuniko opens her first owned restaurant “PIKUNICO” in the ROW, downtown LA, serving multiple level of customers includes young neighbors, families, friends to enjoy the Japanese style fried chickens and picnic food to enjoy the sunny day of California.