About Ayako
Growing up eating her mom's home-made miso soup and vegetable pickles with rice for breakfast, Ayako Iino's appreciation for good food was set at an early age. Her interest in food & cooking blossomed during ten years of semi self-sufficient living in rural Japan. In a tiny oceanside village on the edge of the Boso Peninsula she grew her own rice and vegetables, harvested edible plants from the surrounding hills and coastline, cooked on a wood fire, and learned the deep local traditions of cooking and eating from the local seasonal bounty. To pursue & broaden her passion, she moved to California seven years ago. After training at culinary school she worked as a cook at Oliveto Restaurant in Oakland. At Oliveto, Ayako found striking similarities between Italian regional cuisine and her countryside food experience; particularly in their emphasis on seasonality and freshness of ingredients. She now cooks at Boulette's Larder and draws from a wide range of cuisines to craft unique lunch menus.
Magic Miso
Cook Sharp