Cooking Class - Bento Box Favorites

Take a tour of Santa Monica's Farmers' Market and local Japanese markets before preparing a Bento box meal!

In this market tour and Japanese cooking class, Chef Leslie will first take you around her favorite farmers' market and Asian markets to show you how she sources ingredients for her dishes. She will then teach you a variety of dishes that come together to create a traditional bento box, the convenient meal package eaten in restaurants, schools, and on trains throughout Japan. Designed to be a complete meal, Chef Leslie's version of the bento box includes perfectly cooked rice, a wide variety of vegetables (including her fantastic take on potato salad using Japanese kabocha squash), and a hearty piece of fish or chicken teriyaki. Individual dishes in the box may vary according to the season, depending on what is available at the market.

Guests will learn to create each item in the box, as well as the delicate art of placement. You'll then get to enjoy the fruits of your labor!

Chef Leslie welcomes guests to bring their own wine, beer, or sake to enjoy with the class and meal.

• Minimum Guests 3
• Maximum Guests 12
• Event Duration 4 hours
• Labels Asian, Fun, Japanese

• Asian
• Fun
• Japanese

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I consider Japanese cuisine to be the best in the world and my personal favorite. I often cook rustic, home-style "ofukuro no aji" dishes, literally translated as "mother's taste" cooking. My traditional Japanese food is clean and healthy, with a subtle balance of flavor. I also create original and modern Japanese recipes, based on my 5 years of living in Japan. I believe that cooking tells a story about the cook's life and I have many delicious stories yet to tell.