KARLSBALLS
  • HOME
  • KARL WHO?!
  • KARLS TAKOYAKI MISSION
  • RECIPES
  • WHERE'S KARL?!
  • BUY STUFF!
  • KARL'S BUDDYS
  • BLOG

"100 years later, the inheritance of Konamon's food culture" Standing with the Giants.

9/26/2024

0 Comments

 
Picture



​This year I have the honor of being in attendance on stage with the best of the best. These people in the picture below are the legends of Takoyaki, Konamon Culture. Last year I brought my team to Osaka, we sat in audience.


This year I will be traveling alone, while the team holds the fort steady in NYC. Team please do your best!

It's an incredible feeling, the wave of support from Osaka, being recognized for all the hard work.

In a way, Osaka feels like home.

In another way, its also very stressful, trying to figure out how to push KARLSBALLS Takoyaki into a direction that is sustainable and profitable.

I wish recognition here in USA can be just as much, but frozen deep fried takoyaki is still king here.

How to get takoyaki as popular as ramen, yakitori and sushi?

I wouldn't lie, this year has been hard. The sheer volume of events has left my team tired and weary. We keep pushing through setbacks, though we feel a little punch drunk. Imitators and haters increased, as we continue to do the good work.

As my resume gets larger, I cannot defeat time. We will finish 2024 season a little tired and beat up, it's been difficult. We need to re-strategize for 2025.

Osaka I come back 10/1-10/9.

The only USA chef recognized, invited to Osaka Japan to particpate in the Teppan Kaigi (Conference).

As an American, and even, Non-Japanese, this is huge.

I will continue to work hard to cook, promote and spread Takoyaki culture.

10/4/2024 OSAKA TEPPAN CONFERENCE here I come.

Thank you for your support.
いつもよろしくお願いします



​
0 Comments

The future of takoyaki in the west

12/27/2023

0 Comments

 
Many people have been asking me, "When will you have your own restaurant?"  

And I've been thinking...why aren't there any takoyaki restaurants in usa?  there's takeo-san in LA (Tanota), otafuku nyc closed down and now is located in rairai ken in east village.  dokodemo stopped making takoyaki...who's left?  

karlsballs?

my crew and i have been cooking all over nyc, at pretty much every street fair (japanese), as well as nyc comic con and anime nyc.  

we're the takoyaki vendor for mitsuwa's summer festival  in edgewater NJ .

We have the first kei-kitchen truck in usa, imported from osaka.  

we've been recognized as the first usa team to be a part of the osaka, teppanyaki conference.  2024, i'll be back as a key note speaker in the national takoyaki  conference.  

ok enough of my blabbing.  

why no restaurant?  

let me ask you a question...do you know what ramen  is?  I'm 99.9% sure you know what it is.   there are ramen freaks out there who know more about dashi (japanese soup stock) than i will ever know.  

if i ask any stranger on the street if they know what takoyaki is, they will pretty much have no idea.

some who do...know of takoyaki that is served in izakaya (frozen, pre-made).  

Some know of gindaco, the largest chain in japan.   

many people know of takoyaki through anime:  one piece, dragonball z, my hero academia...anime has probably been the biggest promoter of takoyaki in the west.  

its interesting...we cook at japan fes and have a very long line.  why? people come for japanese food, for takoyaki.   the next day we can be cooking at a regular street fair--and it's like pulling teeth trying to get a sale.  even after 10-11 years of cooking this stuff, many americans are scared of octopus.  

to really know takoyaki....the real stuff from osaka, is far in between.  i'm glad i have a great support unit in japan--the konamon association has been very helpful, mana (kumagaI) has been amazing.  

in order for takoyaki to be sucessful in usa, we need more information about it.  in order for a takoyaki restaurant to be successful, people need to know about it.  

people need to be informed.  

it needs to be promoted.  

so with that being said, i decided to start a takoyaki blog.  all the research and places that i've eaten in osaka, will be discussed and shared here. 

what is the difference between tokyo, osaka, kyoto...regional styles o f takoyaki...what makes this store special compared to that store.  

where to eat in osaka?  my best picks.  where to eat takoyaki in tokyo?   that mom and pop shop I found....i'll promote it here. 

takoyaki is expensvie to make here in usa.  it takes ton of skill to make it right.  the equipment...you can't buy here.  have to get it in osaka.  there are no teachers here.  

so maybe i have to become one of these things.  learn as much as i can, and spread as much knowledge as possible.  for the next generation...

there ar e so many lessons and things i've learned from just trial and error.  i want to share them with you.  

i just came back from osaka in 10/2023 with my team, tammy and adam--from the teppan(yaki) conference in osaka.  

we  met the biggest stores in Osaka.  Kougaryu, takohachi, creo-ru, juhachibhan...a lot of business cards were exchanged.  I (think) i ate at about 13-15 stores in 9 days.  

so i'll make a blog post about each one.  and give you my thoughts about each one.  of course this is subjective, i have my favorites and you will find yours too.  but maybe with a glance of my writing...it might lead you to a place that you've never known about.  

i hope this will inspire you to love takoyaki as well.  

so for now...i'll sign off, time for bed--maybe in my takoyaki dreams i'll be able to  foresee just what is next.  

karl



0 Comments

WHAT TO DO

6/15/2021

0 Comments

 
 As things are opening up, I’m wondering what to do? Do I go back to making 1000 orders for a weekends worth of cooking or do I lean back to more the levels of comfort? As of now I am enjoying cooking slightly less. Not saying I am not cooking with out effort, it’s more or less making a plan in the middle of the city, country re-OPENING PAST A PANDEMIC THAT HAS KILLED A LOT OF PEOPLE.


I got my 2 shots, and sometimes I think I am invincible, but I can tell that my body is much different than how it was in my early 30’s. I’ll turn 40 this July 1st. I have to make a plan...either invest into a brick and mortar or find another alternative. What I do intend on doing is informing the west of what proper takoyaki really IS.  It should not be fried and should not be drowning in oil.  It has to be creamy and the taste of the dashi has to come through in harmony with the rest of the ingredients involved.  It has to be balanced.


From what I learned, Japanese culinary accentuates the ingredients already  present in the recipe.  You need to  enhance the balance of all the ingredients.  I must say this is hard to do, at least for me.  It’s something I think about all the time.  I’m constantly thinking about how to improve, whether I am putting in the work, or sitting in my recliner in my apartment having a beer.


Lately, cooking at Moonrise Izakaya has given me a platform to use the best ingredients possible, and showcase other highlights of my cooking, from boiling the dashi (soup stock) fresh in the tent in preparation for the next bucket of batter….to slicing octopus sashimi as a simple appetizer, highlighting the tenderness of the boiled octopus, painstakingly massaged by hand for 30 minutes to an hour.


There is also Dashi-Tako, which is takoyaki served in a boil of dashi.  It’s one of my favorites honestly.  The battered shell becomes soft and soaks up the soup stock…its almost “soup dumpling” like but with takoyaki.  This is something I want people to try—its so good.


I hope all of you reading this will take the time to come visit my staff and I cook live at our UWS residency pop up.  It’s so much fun.  Take care  everyone. ​
0 Comments

something big

3/27/2021

0 Comments

 
Something big is coming and i can't tell you what.  you'll only have to see it when it comes and I'll  announce it later this week.  all i can think about is the word responsibility.  we have to be responsible for the future for everything.  not just ourselves our families and friends, but the world.  living in nyc, i feel like we're recreating "ghostbusters 2".  the city is feeding on the negative energy of whats happening and that pink goop below the street surface is just amplifying it.  

how to be a light for those who are in darkness?  how to bring such joy and happiness to those who are around you, there is no slight of chance to spread hate?  

yeah yeah yeah i know.  this is. a website about takoyaki.    and i probably should be talking more about it, but hey man, it's my blog and i do what i want!  lol.  

​if you're reading this, try to do your best to be a good person, because bad people don't live long.  
0 Comments

what's going on?

3/18/2021

1 Comment

 
I told myself i'd write more in this blog, kind of like a journal.   write whatever i want to talk about.  so if you're reading, i hope this doesn't bore you  to death. 

the times of now is really crazy, and its been hard for me to think about the food business as it seems like usa is just fallin g apart.  

i always thought that food was something that could break boundaries and connect cultures together.  we don' t need to speak the same language  or know each other's cultural history...through food we can just eat and enjoy.  it goes right to the heart figuratively, and goes into the stomach, literally.  

with so much hate towards asian people...the hate...its been directed at us since this covid started.  kung flu, chy-na virus.  yet...everyone eats chinese take out...makes yo u think.  

insecurities.  we have them all.  yet, how to correct them?  what has caused this explosion of untapped hate towards us?  it's been around certainly.  racism has existed in america for a long long time.   how do we correct this?  

my love for food and cooking was always just another reason to serve and bring happiness to someone.  but now, i feel afraid to cook in this public life.  my staff--as well.  theyre a bit scared too.   i have to make sure its a safe environment if we  re open in 2021.  i can only hope and pray that wherever we c0ok, its a safe and secure environment as things honestly, do not feel safe at all.  

there is not enough takoyaki in the states.  i  can count on one hand the stores in usa which i think are existing and still operating.  i want to instruct how to cook, how to create and how to preserve this konamon culture.  i want to get back to japan and study.  become better, chip away until perfection gets closer.    I want things to become better and "normal" again.  I guess wants and reality is a bit different now. 

i only hope that if and when that day comes, i can cook without fear for my life, or my staff's.  

1 Comment

THOUGHTS AND THINGS.

6/7/2018

5 Comments

 
When I was persuaded by my friends and former customer to start my own, I really had no idea on starting an approach to cooking. I never went to culinary school. I was a decent cook, and a very hands on learner; still am. At first I said to hell with it, and decided to make all these crazy balls--the ultimate pot smokers dream. I even tried to create a cooking personality, something different and outrageous. Then something really hit me.
Here I am, an Asian American cooking Japanese food. Some of you know that I live in a Japanese based world, pretty much everyday. Though I'm not IN Japan, it's influence is there. I decided to find out everything and anything about the food, and start from scratch. Start all over and basically, become "JAPANESE". I became obsessed in what is Kaizen (改善). I researched everything, and picked 2-3 stores, chefs, that I thought was the best at what they do. Preparing Octopus, I figured the best way to do it is to research the best Sushi shops in the world, in NYC, in Japan, and figure out how they did it. Since I was boiling octopus everyday, my friend said to me..."You know, you're doing this everyday, maybe one day you'll be know for having the best tasting octopus in the city...". That really dawned on me. Maybe it could happen. Instead of using popular sauces for takoyaki, I decided to make my own. It came out very very well.
I finally travelled to Japan and ate at 23 takoyaki stores in less than 2 weeks. Took mental notes on which ones I liked the most. What made each one unique. Later in the year I came back and was able to track down who I think is the best, Chin Nai formally of Takohachi, now of Teppanbar Mugi. He was and is still the model of how I want to cook.
The word artisanal is a word I think is way overused in the cooking world. I think good chefs/cooks are striving for that without labeling their food as that. If it's good, it's good. We're providing a service to the people, so don't we want to give out the best product we can? As a musician, I never wanted to half-ass a performance, so as a chef, I never want to give you bullshit on a plate. I know when I'm not my best, and it pisses me off when I can't cook the way I want to. I guess I'm really hard on myself.
Where am I going with this post? I don't know, just felt like typing out some thoughts. It's tough being a non-Japanese in this Japanese culinary world. In my opinion, I feel like I have to cook twice as good as a Japanese chef to be labeled as decent or "authentic" because discrimination, it's there. My food cost is really high for a B class street food because I use really good ingredients. It takes me 3 days from beginning to end to prepare octopus from the freezer, to takobutsu (cut octopus bits). But I figured if my quality was super high, people would appreciate the effort and quality and business will keep going. I just can't stoop myself to a level to serve you guys crap.
I think I'm getting close, real close to the taste I had in Japan and the taste that's in my head. Physically this job is very demanding, but when I get that 30 seconds of a customers smile or a supportive comment for me to keep going, I feel renewed and ready to do it all over again.
5 Comments

    Author

    KARL'S BLOG!

    Archives

    September 2024
    December 2023
    June 2021
    March 2021
    June 2018

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

HOME BALLS??? DO IT NOW!!! FRIENDS!!!