The Blue Zone Dinner
– Okinawa –
Dates:
Friday 7th February
2025
Time:
6:30pm
(2 hours duration)
Price:
$130
($110 for in-house guest)
Authentic Okinawa Dishes:
If you love Japan, you’ve probably heard of Okinawa—famous for its stunning blue ocean and traditional, healthy cuisine that has earned it a place as one of the world’s Blue Zones.
Join us for an incredible healthy Okinawan dinner, led by Rieko Hayashi, a Melbourne-based chef with a deep passion for Japanese cuisine. Rieko has been teaching healthy cooking and hosting workshops for over a decade, including several successful fermentation events and pop-up dinners at The Fermentary in 2023 and 2024. This event marks her first pop-up dinner with Shizuka Ryokan.
During the dinner, Rieko will introduce each dish and explain why traditional Okinawan meals are celebrated for their health benefits. While some authentic ingredients are unavailable in Australia, Rieko uses the freshest local substitutes while staying true to traditional cooking techniques.
Authentic Okinawan dishes are rare to find in Australia, making this dinner a truly unique experience!
Start your year with an unforgettable evening that perfectly aligns with your healthy New Year’s resolutions.
A Note about Dietary Restrictions:
The dishes we’ll be serving are deeply rooted in tradition and feature ingredients such as soy, gluten, seaweed, pork, peanuts, and more.
As much as we would love to accommodate all dietary needs, we are unable to make special modifications for diets, as the focus is on preserving the authenticity of these time-honored recipes.
Blue Zone Dinner Proposed Menu:
- 1st course: Assorted Cold Dishes (including sashimi with citrus/soy sauce)
- 2nd course: Peanut Tofu (Jiimamii Dofu)
- 3rd course: Bitter Melon and Aonori Tempura
- Main course: Slow-Cooked Pork Belly (Rafutee)
- 5th course: Purple Potato Chakin-Shibori (a sweet dish served with black sugar syrup)
∗ For our special dinner event, we’ve carefully curated a menu using the finest seasonal ingredients. Please note that the menu is subject to change depending on availability to ensure each dish is as fresh and delicious as possible.
Rieko Hayashi
Born and raised in Japan, now based in Melbourne.
Studied nutrition at university in Japan, and became a chef and a Barista in Australia.
I host cooking classes, workshops, and ChefsTable events, centered on the themes of ‘温故知新-Onko Chishin’ (learning from the past to create something new) and ‘手前味噌-Temae Miso’ (nothing beats homemade).”
Healthy food is delicious! Let food be your medicine!
