Quatres Épices

In this episode of Chow-To, Guillermo visits Sarah Lee, founder of Kimbap Lab, and expert in Korean home cooking, to learn how to make Dduk Guk, a rice cake soup traditionally eaten to celebrate the Lunar New Year in Korea. This is a perfect winter soup beyond the holiday. Loaded with soft pillowy rice cakes, delicious garnishes, and a rich beef broth, this is comfort in a bowl.

Welcome to Kitchen Essentials, a video series showcasing the favorite tools of food and drink experts. In this episode, we visit with Tiki cocktail expert Shannon Mustipher at her bar Glady's in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Shannon is an expert on all things rum and Caribbean cocktails. She takes us through a list of the essential items behind her bar: a swizzle stick or le bois lélé, a metal shaker, a Japanese-style jigger, a channel knife, and a commercial drink mixer. Shop Shannon Mustipher's Bar Essential Picks.

In this episode, Guillermo visits Chef Pierre Thiam at his fast casual restaurant, Teranga, where he serves Senegalese-inspired grain bowls— AKA, the ultimate power lunch. Chef Thiam's goal is to educate health-conscious American consumers on these superfoods, while also improving the lives of producers by restoring biodiversity to the planet through highly sustainable ancient crops. Together they make a Yassa Bowl using West African red rice, one of the super grains highest in nutritional value today.

At her NYC chocolate shop Stick With Me Sweets, Susanna Yoon (formerly of Per Se) makes edible miniature works of art. These colorful, marbleized, portable chocolate domes are packed with the flavors and textures of some of Susanna’s favorite desserts, which include a kalamansi meringue pie, and the vero, a silver blue bonbon that houses a mix of sea salt caramel and crunchy pecan bits. In the words of the chef, handcrafted chocolate is the sweetest way to tell somebody “stick with me”.

In this episode of Chow-To, Guillermo meets with kawaii foods master Hiroyo Belmonte at the Japanese cultural center, Resobox to learn how to make Kazari Maki Sushi, also known as decorative or cute sushi. Peach blossoms, penguins and jack-o-lanterns are just some examples - kawaii overload! Learn how to make the most adorable sushi DIY-style at home like a master sushi chef.

In this episode of Kitchen Essentials we visit Mina Newman, Executive Chef at Sen Sakana in NYC, where she tells us what her essential kitchen tools are for her Nikkei restaurant. For those unfamiliar, Nikkei cuisine refers to the food of the Japanese diaspora living in places like Peru. In the Andes, the combination of ingredients and Japanese technique led to the development of fascinating dishes and flavor profiles. Mina shows us her chopsticks, favorite knives, spoons, and a bonito shaving machine she had to order from Japan. Watch to learn all about Mina's essential tools, and why she uses them every day in the kitchen.

Chefs Nick Montgomery and Akira Akuto have had a big year, thanks in part to their restaurant Konbi being named Bon Appetit's Best New Restaurant in America. In this episode of Kitchen Essentials, we visit the sandwich shop in Echo Park, Los Angeles to talk to Nick and Akira about their favorite kitchen tools, which include: a German egg slicer, a Japanese chef knife, a Thermapen, and a rubber spatula. Shop Nick and Akira's Kitchen Essential Picks.