Buffalo’s own Cherry Blossom Festival

Springtime ushers in the season of celebration in Buffalo, and the city is proud to host its first annual Buffalo Cherry Blossom Festival all this week.  Cherry blossoms have long been revered by the Japanese for their fragrance, exquisite beauty, and, perhaps most of all, for their symbolism of a life well lived.  Cherry blossoms fall from the tree unwithered, carrying their precious splendor to the Earth as they descend.  The result of a tree shedding its flowers is a glorious quilt of pinks, reds, and whites on the ground below.  It is said that it is a very lucky person indeed who is able to end his or her own existence on such a positive note.

Buffalo’s twelve-day celebration of cherry blossoms runs from April 23 to May 4.  Many of the festival events are taking place at or behind the Buffalo History Museum, on the lake side of the museum, by the Japanese Gardens.  Buffalo State College and Campus House were gladly involved with the Festival, hosting a Japanese food and sake tasting on April 28.

The tasting began with an offering of traditional Japanese matcha tea, a finely ground, extremely high quality green tea leaf.  Buffalo State College alumnus Atsuko Mishida-Mitchell, clad in traditional Japanese garb, prepared the tea, and offered tastes alongside a mochi dumpling – a classic Japanese sweet of glutinous rice dough wrapped around a sweetened red bean filling.  She explained that the bitterness of the tea must be tempered with something sweet.  Japanese cuisine customs are heavily based on this type of taste balance.

Green Tea and Mochi Dumplings

Balance was also a key component of the Japanese food demonstration, lead by Mike Andrzejewski, local chef and owner of Seabar, Cantina Loco, and Mike A’s at the Lafayette.  Campus House transformed one of its dining rooms into a culinary lecture hall as Chef Andrzejewski demonstrated his interpretation of traditional Japanese dishes for event guests.  He first talked a bit about the sushi and fresh seafood tradition in Japan, then showed how to make chirashi sushi – what he deemed “workingman’s sushi” – typical of Japanese fisherman utilizing the day’s catch.    

Chirashi Sushi

Chef Andrzejewski then challenged the tastebuds of guests with a savory warm custard, called chawan mushi -- shot through with ginger, shrimp, and mushrooms.   Combining the delicate wobbly texture of a perfectly cooked crème brulee with the flavors of dashi (Japanese seafood stock), the custard was a delicious and unusual foray into Japanese cuisine that left guests pleasantly surprised and delighted.

Chawan Mushi

Teriyaki Chicken Skewers

The Japanese cuisine demo also included lacquered teriyaki chicken skewers and a food discussion that touched on the culinary history of Japan, as well as an introduction to classic plating techniques and cooking tools.  In addition, the evening featured a chopstick demonstration and a retail area for Buffalo Cherry Blossom Festival calligraphy prints and souvenirs.  

A sake tasting, lead by Buffalo State College alumnus and fine wine sales representative, Rob Kohout, was the perfect complement to the cuisine.  Rob gave guests a primer on the finer points of sake, touching on the five primary rice wine types and their characteristic flavors.

Rob discusses Japanese rice wine

Campus House was happy to support the Buffalo Cherry Blossom Festival in its celebration of the glory and bounty of spring, taking a few cues from the immensely popular Washington DC National Cherry Blossom Festival.  We hope to see you soon at Campus House, where you will receive world-class service.