maiko kyogoku

In some ways the start of the pandemic really reminded me of the first few months with a newborn. You barely leave the house, you feel anxious and tired, and you realize at 1 PM that you still haven’t changed out of your sweatpants… Preparing your mind, body and business for a newborn is challenging enough, just imagine adding in fighting for your restaurant's survival during a pandemic.

Our guests today are doing just that. Maiko, owner, and Emily, chef, of Bessou - the amazing Japanese comfort food restaurant  here in NYC - are both 8 months pregnant. We don’t talk enough about the challenges of being a working parent in the hospitality industry or during this pandemic. On today's episode, we change that.

Photo Courtesy of Evan Sung

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We continue our Corona Diaries conversations with Chef Lien Lin of Bricolage, the Vietnamese gastropub in Park Slope, and Owner Maiko Kyogoku and Chef Emily Yuen of Bessou, the modern Japanese comfort food restaurant in Soho. Tune in to find out how the pandemic fast forwarded Lien’s plans to move her family to the West Coast, complete with a cross-country RV adventure. Hear how Maiko and Emily have been adjusting Bessou for takeout, taking on projects to support frontline healthcare workers, and more. 

In March, HRN began producing all of our 35 weekly shows from our homes all around the country. It was hard work stepping away from our little recording studio, but we know that you rely on HRN to share resources and important stories from the world of food each week. It’s been a tough year for all of us, but right now HRN is asking for your help. Every dollar that listeners give to HRN provides essential support to keep our mics on. We've got some fresh new thank you gifts available, like our limited edition bandanas.

Keep Feast Meets West on the air: become an HRN Member today! Go to heritageradionetwork.org/donate. 

Image courtesy of Melissa Hom for Bessou.

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There are countless dishes that you should be adding miso to beyond the omnipresent soup! Maiko Kyogoku and Emily Yuen, the dynamic duo behind Bessou, join us in the studio to tell us about all the different miso varietals and how to use them so you can add more umami magic to your life.

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They’re the daughters of immigrants and the daughters of chefs. So it’s no surprise that Maiko Kyogoku and Emily Yuen got into the restaurant business. These two women are the team behind Bessou, one of the most charming restaurants in New York City. Maiko, whose family had a Japanese restaurant on the Upper West Side for 30 years, is the owner, and Emily, who hails from Vancouver, is the executive chef. Maiko chose the name Bessou because it means home away from home, which describes the atmosphere she wanted to create by serving creative Japanese comfort food in a soothing, minimalist space. Maiko’s mother, who was a passionate home cook, is the guiding spirit of the restaurant, having taught Maiko about Japanese cuisine and customs. Maiko and Emily stop by Radio Cherry Bombe to talk about how they met, how they collaborate, and what the most popular items are at Bessou.

Thank you to Le Cordon Bleu for supporting our show.

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There's more to Japanese cuisine than sushi, sashimi, onigiri, and miso soup! Maiko Kyogoku of Bessou talks to Lynda and Iris about Japanese comfort food, as well as her influences for the seasonal, home-style food served at her downtown restaurant.

This week on Japan Eats, host Akiko Katayama is joined in the studio by Maiko Kyogoku, owner of Bessou, a restaurant in Noho featuring modern takes on Japanese comfort food.

Bessou was conceived from Maiko's desire to share her family’s food traditions. The ingredients are responsibly sourced and prepared with care, with a menu that is seasonal and changing year-round.