No Formal Training!? Former Office Lady’s TINY Kitchen NEVER has empty seats!

No Formal Training!? Former Office Lady’s TINY Kitchen NEVER has empty seats!

Everything’s made from scratch So customers feel I put my heart into it. Today we visit Koryoriya Minori in Onomichi, Hiroshima Where one woman runs everything, from prep to cooking to serving customers. Good morning! Come in over here. 7:00 a.m. Would you like black coffee or a café latte? Café latte. Are you sure? Thank you! She says she’s nervous. This is my daughter, Reika. Say hello, or good morning! She’s 10. On Saturdays she always comes with me She’ll do her homework in the corner Or go for little walks by herself. That’s heavy! I usually cook rice in a traditional hagama iron pot But for bentos I don’t have time, so I use a rice cooker. This is tofu for ganmodoki (tofu fritters). I press the tofu overnight to remove excess water. I use tofu from Marutani Tofu. It’s a local tofu shop with a long-standing history here. It’s mostly tofu So it’s super healthy and nutritious. I hope people enjoy it. If you try making it you’ll see how easy it is to make yourself. I actually share my recipe with customers all the time. I’ll gladly show them my recipe like this. And more and more people try making it at home. They’ll tell me their kids ate it and loved it. Hearing that always makes me so happy. This salt is amazing, too. I use local ingredients from right here in Onomichi To get the word out and hopefully draw in more visitors. Elementary school homework Since she comes in with me She’s learned to be very thoughtful. Because I run things by myself, customers are considerate About when to order or ask for things. She’ll notice and ask, “Want me to let her know?” I’m a bit biased, I know… Ganmodoki’s ready! Sorry I’m throwing them in like that. It makes them easier to peel. Take eggs straight from the fridge And toss them into boiling water like that. That makes the shells crack just a little So they peel right off! I’m self-taught—just experimented with lots of things on my own. Thanks as always! Thank you! Thank you! Thanks again. He’s from Niku no Nakamuraya A butcher shop just behind Onomichi Station. They always deliver great quality meat. Thank you! Nice to meet you! Thank you. I want to give back to Onomichi So I keep that in mind when I choose where to source ingredients. Prepping the hamburger steak I grew up in a single-father household. I’ve been cooking for myself since I was about ten. I experimented until I figured out how to make hamburger steak taste good. My research indicated that using raw onions made for the best taste. Lots of trial and error— and many failed attempts! My dad would say, “What IS this?” “This isn’t edible!” So I’d try again. Dad raised three daughters all by himself. Even sent us all to university debt-free. Now that I’m a parent I realize how amazing that is. He could do anything. In junior high and high school we had to bring bento lunches. He was very strict, but he always woke up at 5 a.m. to make them for us. I decided to offer bentos here because of my dad. I want to pass on the warmth I felt. I have an aunt who’s a great cook. She comes and helps out sometimes. Her rule is: Anything served that day must be prepped that very morning. You can taste the effort put into it. That’s why everything’s made from scratch. So customers feel I put my heart into it. Cooking rice in the hagama iron pot. Nice job! So cute, it’s Shin-chan! Come down if you get hungry. Okay! I’ll make more. Lunch is by reservation-only at 11:30am and 1:00pm. Do you all have a reservation? Reservation only, sorry… Hamburger steak lunch: ¥1,800 (US$12) (Sat. dinner only) Chef’s choice course: ¥5,500 (US$35) You can add Ganmodoki for ¥300 (US$2) each. Or extra hamburger steak for ¥500 (US$3.25) each. Rice refills are free as long as there is more left in the pot. Free miso soup refills as well, just let me know. Owner: It will be pretty filling, I think. Owner: …probably. Just some olive oil And a sprinkle of salt And it’s delicious! All I can think to say is “Looks amazing!” Thank you! This is a pot for miso soup by Nagatanien. It really brings out the flavor of miso soup. Customers: Wow! Customer: Didn’t know those existed! Customer: The rice is so smooth! This year’s new crop is fantastic. They say the hot summer helped it grow well. Excuse me. Thanks for waiting. Customer: You can feel it’s filled with love. Thank you! Thanks for waiting. Thank you. Customer: This is so good. Thanks, glad you like it! Customer: I could eat this all day! Thank you. Before I knew it, it was gone. It was delicious. The hamburger steak is incredible. We came from Fukuoka. Owner: What! Wow, thank you so much! Have you tried Onomichi ramen? We’re going after this. After this?! Wow! The ganmodoki is light and crispy—so good. The hamburger steak has a great subtle flavor. Could I get one more, please? That’s how good it is. Here you go. More rice or miso soup? Customer: I’m good, thanks! Okay, thank you. Exact change, thanks! Thank you! Take care! Thanks again! I got a tea order, so I’ll make that now. Herbal “yakuzen” tea I had some health problems when I had my child. So that made me rethink my diet and lifestyle. That’s when I became a certified yakuzen medicinal cooking specialist. This blend is called “Harebare.” The flowers inside help with eye strain and improve stiff shoulders and circulation. Anywhere is fine. Want to eat there? Daughter: Looks yummy. What’s your favorite thing your mom makes? Hmmm…. I love everything. Yesterday you made warabi-mochi by yourself, right? Watching like YouTube and TikTok. Customer: Wow! Right? Owner: You wanna work at Yakiniku Guriguriya when you’re older, right? Owner: Gotta practice here first. Owner: She dreams of working at Yakiniku Guriguriya one day. Daughter: Cause staff get to eat free BBQ… Oct.-Nov.: Hamburger steak lunch only. 11:30am & 1:00pm. Lunch & dinner by reservation only. Bentos also available. Welcome. Hello! Welcome! Where are you visiting us from? Customer: Kyoto. These glasses are from Nakagawa Glass Run by a nice elderly lady in the shopping arcade. 100 yen (US$0.65) each. Smells good? Thank you! Customers: Wow… You can have more rice as long as there’s some left, just let me know! Customer: Thank you! Yay! Thank you. There’s chikuwa (fish cake) in this. Customer: What a nice touch! The hamburger steak is amazing. So light and fluffy. It’s amazing how your chopsticks just glide through it. The sauce is great too and goes perfectly with the rice. It’s perfect. My whole body is happy! The hamburger steak has nice big pieces of onion They give it a great little crunch. And yet the meat still feels nice and meaty. So, so good. It reminds me of my mom’s hamburger steak. Real home-cooked flavor. Delicious. Lately I’ve been coming about twice a month. Partly because of the owner, Hiromi. The food is great, of course But Hiromi is such a warm person. Owner: I can’t believe you’re not college girls! Customers: Come on! Customer: I’ll be telling this story for a long time! Thank you for the meal! Thank you! Customer: I forgot my umbrella! Thanks again, take care! Where are you headed next? To a café called Madobe. Ready? Let’s go have fun! Thank you for the meal. Thank you, as always! You’re headed to Bunki (a café) now? Enjoy Bunki! Thank you! Why did I open this place? Well, I used to work at a life insurance company. I did that for five years and it was pretty tough. One day a friend invited me out to eat to help me clear my head. We went to a café in Onomichi overlooking the ocean. That’s when I thought: “This food is so good!” It felt like such a moment of healing. I’ve always loved cooking So I wanted to serve good food that makes people feel the same way I did. The very next month I quit my job and marched into the Chamber of Commerce Saying, “I want to open a restaurant!” They didn’t shut me down or say I couldn’t do it. They handed me a business plan template And said, “Come back when you can fill this out.” So I looked for a shared kitchen. I’d never worked in food service before so I needed experience. I was only open once a week But I managed to build a regular customer base. Then I knew I could write that business plan And went back to the Chamber of Commerce. (A shared kitchen is a facility shared among aspiring restaurant owners and chefs.) Let’s take a little break. Here’s a free meal for staff. Enjoy! I finished my homework! Owner: If you made a reservation… Regular: What’s a granny gotta do to eat here? Owner: She’s a super regular. Regular: I can’t use the internet, you know. Regular: I mean, just look at this!! (flip phone) Owner: A flip phone…classic! Owner: Just tell me like before Owner: And I’ll set some aside for you. Owner: Or I’m doing bentos now too, so I can get you a bento. Sorry! I got a request from tonight’s customers for karaage (fried chicken). So I’m prepping that now. Okay! Let’s go shopping! All right, let’s go! They say about 40% of Onomichi residents aren’t originally from here. People tired of city life come to Onomichi Looking for a slower pace of life. Owner: There it is: Ee-jan Onomichi (a local market). Daughter: Onomichi! Ta-daaa! Thanks! What could it be~? What could it be~? Daughter: Bye-bye! Owner: Bye-bye! Daughter: Bye! Good luck tonight! Owner: What about your things? Daughter: Oops, I forgot! That’s embarrassing. Daughter: Thank you! Bye! Stay safe! (Reika takes the train home by herself.) Now I’m making shumai dumplings. I had the interior design done professionally. The building is over 100 years old So I just asked them to keep its vintage character. And this is the look they created. We stripped off the wall panels So people ask if I couldn’t afford new ones But it’s on purpose. The startup costs were pretty high. When I got the estimate Construction costs plus all the kitchen equipment came to 8.5 million yen. Hello, welcome! Customer: Where should we sit? Welcome, come in! Customer: We’re not wearing any makeup today! Owner: Huh? No makeup? Customer: Like usual. Customer: Yay! Eggplant! It shaves off when you pull it. Customer: You sure can smell it! Owner: Yeah? Does it smell good? Let’s eat! So good. Two more are coming. Here you go. Thank you! He always brings me a little something. Here’s the drink menu. Could I get the Daisekkei? Sure, thank you. Please choose a sake cup. How about this one? Welcome! Good evening. Wait, is this my phone? It’s mine. What? Looks just like mine! What? It’s totally different! For a second I thought I left my phone out there… Thanks for waiting. It’s all foam! It’s hot! That’s for me to sneak a snack! Caught eating on camera. Gonna hide my snacking. Customer: Looks so good already. Owner: Oh, good! Customer: Do we get an egg yolk on it today? Owner: Sure do. Customer: Woo hoo! Owner: How cute! Owner: They look so happy! That’s good! We always come from Kurashiki City in Okayama. It’s one hour if you take the highway. Or two hours on local roads. The food’s great and all But Hiromi’s smile makes it even better. Yes, the food is amazing But it’s the owner’s personality that makes the difference. Wife: You can see the sun spots on your face, that okay? How long have you been coming here? How many years now… Three or four? Since the shared-kitchen days. So quite a while. The first time we came We had the tonjiru (pork miso soup.) It was amazing. We came in the morning, but wanted to come back for lunch So we walked around Onomichi and came back…twice in one day. That’s how it started. Wife: Plus, she was cute, right? Cute, yes, that too. We’re into looks like that. I thought: “What a cool young college student!” Then suddenly my age caught up with me… I had an aging spurt. Now I look my age. How old are you now? Forty-five. You can’t wash this pot with detergent. You need to great care of it So it doesn’t start smelling like detergent. These lights are blinding when I wipe them down! This exhaust fan has been here since the last owner was here. Customer: Oh, so it hasn’t changed! Thank you for today. Thanks for staying to chat while I clean up. Shall we wrap things up with a big clap? Thank you, everyone! Ready—yo! That’s it for today! Thank you. Have a good night. Good night. That’s it for today. 10:00 p.m. I’ll do the daily income/expense report Reply to reservation request messages, and call it a day! What a fun day! Today a group of regulars just happened to get together So today felt like a treat. I always have a lot of energy anyway And today wasn’t tiring It’s 10 p.m. and I still feel like I could go for a drink. That’s how great I feel! When I get home my daughter will say “Mom, your food’s the best!” My regulars say such nice things that lift me up, too. Even though I should be the one thanking them! The shop itself is far from perfect Like a very small restroom and stuff But I do my best every day to make up for those things. I’m not out to make tons of money I just want to cherish this space and my customers every day And keep it going for as long as I can! Our channel strives to share the skills of true craftsmen with the world and pass them on to the next generation. Our videos and products aim to showcase the appeal, pride and philosophy behind the artisans and their craft. If even one person watches this and thinks “Japanese craftsmen are awesome!” that’s already a step toward preserving Japan’s fading traditional crafts. That’s the mission of our YouTube channel. Thanks for your support!

This former OL Office Lady quit her corporate job to run this tiny kitchen by herself and without any experience or formal training she whips out amazing dishes for her customers and is always packed. What an inspirational story and a hard working mom!

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0:00 Intro
0:54 Off to work with her daughter!
1:45 Her famous ganmodoki!
3:37 All self-taught!
4:52 Exquisite hamburg steak!
6:35 Handmade fresh daily!
8:00 Always packed!
10:12 And before you know it?! Gone!
11:53 Mom’s cooking is delicious!
13:30 Photo Time!
15:52 From OL to food service.
18:23 Seeing her daughter off!
19:48 Preparing for Dinner!
21:17 Her Regulars
22:57 Evening course!
25:04 Handmade rice balls!
27:13 Thorough cleaning!
29:03 Endless stamina!

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