About The House of Umami

Behind every rare ingredient, a farmer you’re supporting. When a Michelin chef colleague returned from holiday in Japan and shared a social media photo showing off the culinary ingredient “souvenirs” he’d collected, a light bulb went off for Ayako Yuki. A native of Japan’s countryside and passionate home cook, Ayako realized global chefs wanted access to the new and rare Japanese ingredients she missed in the U.S. In this moment, The House of Umami was born to bring the hidden flavors of Japan to the world, and help farmers struggling to survive the current threat of extinction in an aging population. Ayako and her husband Nobu set out to search the highest mountains and farthest countryside of Japan, to curate a pantry of ingredients never before available outside of Japan. And because Ayako works direct-to-farmer, she is able to pay them more. Your purchases not only help sustain these artisans, but also their ancient traditions – Japan’s cultural heritage. In Japan a “Mikawaya” knocks at the kitchen's back door and sources the chef's requests. Ayako and The House of Umami are your Mikawaya. We are thrilled to bring you innovative and never-before-available culinary ingredients from Japan, to support at-risk farmers. We can’t wait to see what you create with these never-before-tasted ingredients. Meshiagare.Read their story