Growing up with a Japanese father and Italian mother, Gemma Matsuyama Yamada spoke four languages—English, Italian, Japanese, and food. So when she found out that some high schools in Italy actually specialized in cooking and hospitality training, she didn’t think twice—she left her all-girls Catholic high school in New Jersey to attend the prestigious Istituto Alberghiero di Villa Santa Maria culinary school in Villa Santa Maria (called the “Town of Cooks” due to the area’s culinary training roots that go back as far as the 16th century) in Abruzzo, Italy.
Matsuyama Yamada spent five years in Italy before moving to New York City to start working in bakeries and restaurants. Eventually, she became the pastry sous chef at the acclaimed Blue Hill at Stone Barns in upstate New York (which earned its first Michelin star in 2016 and has held two stars since 2019). Eventually, she made her way to Los Angeles, operating a food truck for a few years before chef Niki Nakayama tapped her to be the pastry chef at the now-Michelin-starred n/naka—the first time she worked in a Japanese restaurant.
“Then, the pandemic happened,” she sighs.
The entrepreneurial life she’d gotten a taste of while operating a food truck still beckoned, and she’d already been making fruit mochi on the side for fun. “Mochi is a sticky glutinous rice dough, and it’s made by steaming rice and pounding it into a sticky dough,” she explains. It’s a very common, very traditional Japanese snack that comes neutrally flavored or lightly sweetened, with variations like daifuku (stuffed with a sweet filling, like fresh fruit or red bean paste) or the more Westernized mochi ice cream often offered at sushi restaurants.
So, she decided to launch a business around it. “I started Kimochi during the pandemic in my apartment.”
Kimochi’s fruit mochis are almost all vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free (she specifically notes any allergens if applicable), and due to the fresh fruit used, have a maximum shelf life of around 48 hours refrigerated. “I think it’s one of the most delicious ways to eat fruit, because you just get the pure seasonal flavor in your mouth, just amplified,” Matsuyama Yamada says.
And thanks to Southern California’s year-round growing season and abundance of small farms, she has access to different fruits at all times. “[The fruit] could be from a farm in Vista. It could be from a farmer that’s just standing on the side of the street and they’re selling clementines,” she laughs, offering that her selections can come from a variety of places. “I just think whatever the Earth has given us in the form of fruit is so special.”
Best-selling flavors include mango, strawberry, and clementine, and she hopes to one day bring back some of her more cake-inspired mochi offerings like tiramisu and strawberry shortcake. But for now, she’s focused on raising her two young kids with her husband, studying the art of tea ceremony, offering private events and catering, and running pop-up events a few times a month at places like Michi Michi Bakery in Bankers Hill and Flour Atelier in Kearny Mesa (she posts where she’ll be on Kimochi’s Instagram page).
Despite a hectic schedule, Matsuyama Yamada practices the ethos of kimochi. Ki means “energy” in Japanese, and while mochi mostly refers to the food. “It also means ‘to hold’ in Japanese. It’s a play on the word,” she explains. “It could mean both ways, like ‘hold your energy, share your energy… be present. Enjoy the little moments.’ It’s okay to have a sweet treat with yourself and share that moment with your loved ones. My philosophy of Kimochi is just to enjoy what we have and share that goodness.”
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
Beth’s Bites
- Dominique Muñoz from Polite Provisions has not once, but twice made it onto Punch’s Best New Bartenders’ finalist list—no small feat after San Diego was completely shut out from even being nominated for a few years. Punch will name the final 10 in June.We are rooting for you, Dominique!
- To celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, Chance’s Coffee is offering weekend events open to the public. Every Saturday this month, join the Chance crew for Heritage Highlights, featuring a rotating lineup of food vendors, local artists, bakers, and other small businesses. Sundays are Brunch + Beats, where DJs and different food vendors will be on-site for live music, coffee, and more.
- Maybe you’ve seen the World’s Largest Ball of Twine in Kansas, or participated in the largest gathering of people dressed as Superman in 2013 in the United Kingdom. But if you haven’t yet experienced the World’s Largest Crawfish Boil, you’re in luck—it’s coming to Waterfront Park on May 16. The 37th Annual San Diego Crawfish Boil is bringing its Mardi Gras–themed madness, Zydeco tunes, and over 20,000 pounds of live Louisiana crawfish to Spanish Landing. This 21+ event is definitely a sight to see if you haven’t before, and if you have, you know what a time you’re in for. Godspeed, you crazy crawfish fans!
- Bad news on the restaurant closure front—after 16 years in North Park, Loving Hut is permanently closing its doors on Friday, May 15. While there are a trifecta of vegan options down the street, Loving Hut has been a landmark of the vegan community for nearly two decades. I’m sure that’s hardly consolation to the longtime vegans of San Diego, so get your visits in ASAP. The restaurant is offering 20 percent off until the doors close forever.
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