Today we’d like to introduce you to Mikako Kuribayashi
Hi Mikako, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Katsu Cream debuted earlier this year with acceptance into our first pop-up event – ‘Virginia Drive Live’ – held in the Ivanhoe/Mills 50 neighborhood near downtown Orlando. We were met with curiosity, followed by enthusiasm, as people tried our new food concept of ‘ice cream with a Japanese twist’. We sold out our supply of ice cream that first night and felt confident that the concept was going to be popular and all the hard work in getting to that point was worth it.
Our launch was a culmination of many months of experimenting with different fusion concepts, some reasonable, others not so much. My partner and I worked hard to find the perfect combination of ingredients and presentation to provide a fresh, new dessert customers would love and one that would meet our goal of marrying an American classic (ice cream) with flavors of the east, specifically Japan, where I was born and raised and the seeds of Katsu Cream were planted when I was a child.
Of course I didn’t know it at the time, but the origins for Katsu Cream were born from summers spent with my relatives in Oita Prefecture, in Kyushu, Japan. Some of my favorite memories as a little girl were the times spent with my ‘samurai’ uncle, a self-proclaimed descendent of the Beppu clan of Samurai who were loyal to Saigo Takamori, one of the most powerful samurai of the Edo Period.
Many nights, after our family meal, my uncle would tell me stories of samurai battles his grandparents fought on their home island of Kyushu; stories he acted out by conquering imaginary, warrior foes with his imaginary sword. Honestly though, as much as I loved my uncle’s stories, I loved even more the sweets I was allowed to eat as he told them. Homemade taiyaki, manju, dango, all were plentiful after dinner as my aunt kept my uncle’s sake glass and my plate of sweets full. Then, on special occasions, we would have green tea ice cream topped with my uncle’s special ‘samurai sweet sauce’, a concoction he claimed gave one great strength and vitality as he poured the sauce over my ice cream.
I’ll never know for sure if my uncle was telling the truth about my family’s samurai past, but I do know the sauces he created were unique and delicious and always bring back great memories from my childhood. And it was with these memories in mind that I recreated my uncle’s ‘samurai sauces’ and blended a special part of my childhood with the classic, American dessert that was a part of many other people’s childhood – ice cream.
Now, as Katsu Cream gains acceptance into more and more festivals and events around Orlando, establishing a brand known for quality, originality and just plain deliciousness, I proudly carry on my uncle’s memory by sharing his recipes with our customers.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The headwinds of a tough economic market where inflation has increased nearly all facets of the restaurant and food industry has been tough to navigate as a start-up business. Food costs, fuel costs, equipment costs, everything has increased over the last couple of years, so Katsu Cream has had to work hard to stretch our dollars. It was especially challenging in the very beginning as we were introducing a new food concept, trying to find our market and establish a name and product as one that represents quality and originality.
As a new business, we assumed we would be in the red in the beginning, so we did our best to minimize costs and manage debt while still having available means to grow the business. With this mindset, Katsu Cream has been able to successfully find their market, as well as expand our footprint by participating in more and more neighborhood events around Orlando. And with each event, we grow our customer base and refine our food and presentation which allows us to continue to grow and will, hopefully, lead to our first brick and mortar shop in the next year or two.
As you know, we’re big fans of Katsu Cream, LLC. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Katsu Cream is an Orlando-based, pop-up food vendor specializing in delicious, one-of-a-kind food and desserts that combine the food of America with that of Japan. I’m the head chef and founder and I was born and raised in Japan, but have lived in Florida for over 20 years. I’m trying to bring a unique approach to food and I’m not afraid to go against traditional norms to experiment with new food combinations always hoping to achieve amazing and exciting results.
My latest creation is a snack item called the Fuji Nugget where I take a Japanese onigiri (a triangle-shaped, rice snack) and give it an American twist. Instead of traditional, white rice wrapped in nori (seaweed), I use flavored, Japanese rice, then batter and gently ‘Katsu-fry’ the onigiri to a crisp, golden brown. We then serve it with a side of Japanese curry as a dipping sauce for a savory, one-of-a-kind snack.
Katsu Cream began with ice cream then gave this American classic a ‘Japanese twist’. We use a Florida-sourced, old-fashioned, vanilla ice cream base topped with one of our original sauces, each of which includes a Japanese food ingredient, then add our original Katsu Dango (rice balls, lightly fried, then rolled in sugar) and finish with more sauce for a one-of-a-kind dessert. The sauces, inspired my Japanese uncle, combined with the old-fashioned, vanilla ice cream and Katsu Dango create a delicious dessert that keeps customers coming back for more.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
While still in the starting out phase ourselves, still learning as we go, still dealing with the unexpected and unplanned that most start-ups encounter, we found one of our biggest hurdles in the beginning was establishing the business as a legal entity, then determining what licenses and certificates, both state and local, we needed to operate as a pop-up food vendor.
Being our first time operating a food business, it was, at times, confusing and time-consuming. For example, when preparing and serving food as a Florida business, one could fall under the umbrella of Florida’s Division of Professional and Business Regulation (DPBR) or Florida’s Department of Agriculture. It all depends on what food you are selling and how it is prepared. As Katsu Cream serves hand-scooped ice cream, we fall under the umbrella of the DPBR, but if we offered soft-serve ice cream we would fall under the Department of Agriculture. Little quirks in regulation like the above took multiple emails and phone calls to ensure we could obtain the correct licenses to start our business. It also took time to understand how to navigate federal, state and local tax ordinances and apply them correctly to our business to ensure we maintain compliance in those areas.
My advice would be to do the research and talk with others currently doing a business similar to the one you want to start. You’ll probably receive good tips and save yourself a lot of time and energy when trying to navigate the rules and regulations that are sure to govern your future business.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katsucreamorlando/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61566364050614
