Saturday, November 21, 2026
10:00am – 12:00pm
Location: The Center
Fees: $25 Center Members, $30 General Public

Explore the Japanese tradition of onigiri by making four different styles of rice balls, from classic salted onigiri to a modern version with toppings. Learn shaping, filling, and wrapping techniques, then enjoy your creations with soup and Japanese pickles, a comforting combination often enjoyed for breakfast in Japan.

Menu

• Classic Salted Onigiri: A simple rice ball seasoned with salt, highlighting the flavor and texture of Japanese rice.

• Filled Onigiri: Shape rice around a savory filling and wrap it with nori seaweed for a classic onigiri.

• Modern Topped Onigiri: Wrap your rice ball with nori and arrange the filling on top for a colorful, open presentation.

• Mixed Rice Onigiri: Mix flavorful ingredients throughout the rice before shaping, adding flavor and texture to every bite.

• Miso Soup: A comforting Japanese soup made with dashi and miso, served alongside your onigiri.

• Japanese Pickles: Known as tsukemono, these pickles add a refreshing crunch to complement the meal.

About Chef Brandon Tsukano:

Brandon is Japanese American, born and raised in San Francisco. Ever since he was a little kid, he's always enjoyed cooking and eating. After graduating from UC Berkeley, he moved to Japan and lived there for three years, working as a designer while also taking on part-time work as an assistant chef for events. During that time, he hosted cooking events at a share house, bringing people together for peer-to-peer cooking experiences.

While living in Japan, he traveled extensively around the country, and one of his favorite hobbies became trying different regional foods and experimenting with cooking them himself. It was there that he learned how to make udon, and he's been making it ever since. He loves sharing that love of udon with everyone.

Brandon returned from Japan in 2024, and his mission is to share Japanese culture in a fun, interactive way, and hosting udon-making classes is where that journey begins.

Check out Brandon's Instagram account: meguru_us