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2009 Beer & Sake Festival Report Table of Contents Page 3 Purpose Proceeds About the Japan Society of San Diego and Tijuana Pages 4 Participation Pages 4‐6 Summary Page 7 Media Coverage Page 8 Sponsors & Collaborating Organizations Page 9 Acknowledgements Pages 10 – 14 2009 Festival Selections Page 15 Marketing Materials 2009 Beer & Sake Festival artwork by San Diego artist Mark Richmond
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Purpose The purpose of the Beer & Sake Festival is to raise awareness of the strong ties between Japan and the San Diego‐Tijuana region by introducing and promoting Japanese and local beverages, foods, and cultural activities.
Proceeds Proceeds from the 2009 Beer & Sake Festival support the Japan Society of San Diego and Tijuana’s (JSSDT) many educational programs and activities, including: • Japanese Cultural & Academic Proficiency (J‐CAP) High School Language Competition • San Diego‐Yokohama Youth Baseball Exchange • Yokohama City University Summer Science Program • Japan‐in‐a‐Suitcase • Student Internships
About the Japan Society of San Diego and Tijuana The JSSDT is a non‐profit, membership organization of individuals and corporations with a focus on tri‐national relations. The JSSDT offers unique opportunities to become involved in the business, educational, and cultural relationships between Japan, the United States, and Mexico. The Beer & Sake Festival is one of the many ways in which the JSSDT fulfills its mission: …to promote goodwill and advance business, civic, educational, and cultural interchange and understanding between the people of Japan, San Diego, and Tijuana.
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Participation Approximately 750 people attended the 2009 Beer & Sake festival, including 600 guests and 150 food professionals, beverage experts, and festival staff. The food and beverage professionals served their products to guests ranging from wine aficionados, to sushi adventurers, to first‐time festival participants. Our audience demographic included a wide range of ages (21 to 80) and covered a wide spectrum of ethnic backgrounds representative of San Diego’s diversity.
Summary The Festival spanned four hours throughout the entire ground floor and lower floor of the beautiful San Diego Marriott Del Mar, a coastal hotel whose spacious ballrooms, outdoor poolside lounge, and guest rooms provided the perfect venue for a truly San Diego event. Each guest received a gift bag with an impressive 28‐page Festival Guide, Japanese Restaurant directory, and gifts from various sponsors. In the hotel lobby hallway, surveys were filled out for an opportunity to win prizes. High‐definition LCD big screens in the hallway and ballroom featured logos of each beverage and food company represented at the festival, as well as our festival sponsors. Sponsors also used the video screens to introduce new products such as Takara Sake’s Kissui Vodka and Asahi Beer’s Kuronama. Directly downstairs, one conference room served as the judging room for the SushiMasters Competition and another was the venue for an enlightening “Sake 101” tutorial given by sake expert Michael John Simkin. New to the festival was a conscious effort to use earth‐friendly products, such as recycled paper, reusable signage, and biodegradable plastic cups.
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The Arterra Outdoor Lounge showcased all of the beer tastings as well as several restaurants. Guests enjoyed outdoor fire pits, lounge benches, and cabanas in perfect San Diego weather. In total, over 18 different sponsors were represented around the beautiful poolside at the Arterra Outdoor Lounge.
The Grand Ballroom hosted the giant SushiMasters Competition stage, a dozen sake tasting stations, and four restaurants. The SushiMasters Competition stage was flanked by four 50‐inch Sony LCD screens. The stage held six chef stations and a central awards area, and was a major focal point throughout the event. At the beginning of the festival, there was a kagamiwari (sake barrel breaking) ceremony to start things off with a bang. Then, for 45 intense minutes, six sushi chefs from all over the state of California competed for a cash prize ($2,500) and a chance to compete in the National SushiMasters competition. While the judges deliberated, Masters of Ceremony Sam Zien (“Sam the Cooking Guy”) and Junichi Fukushima of Benihana conducted interviews with the chefs and a sushi demonstration. At the end of the festival, judges and chefs gathered on stage for the awards ceremony. 2009 California Regional SushiMasters Competition Judges Chef Takuya Matsuda ‐ Sushi Bar Nippon, San Diego Chef Brian Malarkey ‐ Oceanaire Seafood Room, San Diego Peter Rowe ‐ The Union Tribune, San Diego Chef Kazunobu “Nobu” Tsushima ‐ Nobu Gourmet, Solana Beach Chef Gerald “Jerry” Warner ‐ Café Japengo, La Jolla
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Chefs Chef Bob Blumer, Special Guest Competitor, “Glutton for Punishment”, Food Network, Los Angeles Chef Tomohiko Nakamura, Takami Sushi & Robata, Los Angeles Chef Atsushi Okawara, Sanraku Four Seasons, San Francisco Chef Hyun Min Suh, Sushi Ran, Sausalito Chef Katsuhiro Tamashiro, Toshi Sushi, Los Angeles Chef Akifusa Tonai, Kyo‐ya, San Francisco
* Chef Hyun Min Suh of Sushi Ran won the trophy for Best in Show, the cash prize, and will represent the California region at the National Sushi Masters Competition in September 2009 to compete for the national title. 6
Media Coverage 41 unique Print/Online media mentions & articles including: • Los Angeles Times’ Travel Section: events worth traveling for • San Diego Union‐Tribune’s Top Weekend Picks • Riviera Magazine May/June issue: “Eat Sheet!” • San Diego Transcript’s Hospitality Beat feature • San Diego Magazine’s The “A” list: top 25 things to do in San Diego • San Diego CityBeat highlighted in “Nibbles” and “Foodie News”
4 Radio Stations • 91X Morning Segment • AJ’s Playhouse 93.3 “Best of San Diego” • Kyxy 96.5 interview with Sonny & Susan • Sophie 103.7 interview with Jennifer White 4 Television Stations • CW 6 Sake with Dessert pairing feature • FOX 5 Have Fun with Sushi feature • KTSD aired a 2‐minute segment covering the festival • NBC 7/39 Sake in the Summer feature
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Sponsors & Collaborating Organizations Kuramoto Title Sponsor Harrah’s Rincon Casino and Resort Daiginjo Platinum Sponsors San Diego Marriott Del Mar Arterra California Rice Commission SushiMasters’ Ginjo Gold Sponsors Berkman PR Ichishima Shuzo Maruhana USA Numero Water Okiron Design Sapporo USA Sony Electronics Viejas Enterprises Nigori Silver Sponsors Asahi Beer USA Gekkeikan Sake Hikari Financial Kirin Beer SakeSocial.Com Sake One San Diego Daily Transcript Silkroad Wine & Spirits Yakult Yu‐Yu International Times Junmai Bronze Sponsors Ballast Point Café Japengo Dining Out Hakutsuru Sake Honest Tea Karl Strauss Brewery Lightning Brewery Mutual Trading Co. Negai Oceanaire Seafood Room Pacific Guardian Life Rock Bottom Brewery Rogue Ales & Spirits Sam the Cooking Guy Sea Rocket Bistro Sushi on a Roll Takara Sake Trumer Pilsner Zenbu 8
Acknowledgements Volunteers George Ekita, Co‐Chair Hisashi Sakashita, Co‐Chair Matthew Blake Kelli Crosson Martin Favela Yumi Furukawa Lauren Goebel Yas Iwata Yuko Kipnis Tomoyo Kitagawa Naadine Koi Jamie Lessie
Kelly Lim Adolf Ray Mosco Michael Nguyen Diana Rowland Mike Shaunessy Eri Stamps Samanthan Suon Kazuo “Ken” Takada Sharlene Thompson Hong Tran Aaron White Nathan Windoffer David Woiwode
JSSDT Staff Dave Tuites, President Aya C. Ibarra, Program Director Keiko Suzuki Lopez, Membership/Communications Manager
Special Thanks Big Shoulders Productions & Quench Center for Community Solutions Junichi Fukushima & Benihana Mark Richmond Studios M Private Label San Diego Asian Film Foundation Sean Dietrich & Billy Martinez Julie Kim, Photographer Kevin Sprowls, Photographer
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2009 Festival Selections
Restaurants Café Japengo Harrah’s Rincon Negai The Oceanaire Seafood Room Sea Rocket Bistro Sushi on a Roll Zenbu
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Beer Asashi Brewmasters Select Kuronama Super Dry Ballast Point Yellow Tail Pale Ale Calico Amber Ale Higashinihon Sawauchi Ginga Kogen Beer Karl Strauss Brewery Tower 10 IPA Kirin Ichiban Shibori Light Lightning Elemental Pilsner American Amber Ale Thunderwiezen Ale Privatbrauerei Josef Sigl Trumer Pils Rock Bottom Brewery Lil’ Buddy Cream Ale Ragtop Irish‐Style Red North Star IPA Rogue Ales Black Obi Soba Ale Soba Ale Buckwheat Ale Red Fox Amber Ale White Crane Bitter Beer Sapporo Yebisu Premium Draft Light 11
Sake
Banzai Beverage Atagonomatsu Honjozo Jokigen Junmai Ginjo Setsugetsu Bijin Junmai Ginjo Crazy Milk Nigori Zake Moon Rabbit Sparkling Sake Star Rabbit Sparkling Sake Hohjoh Biden Isojiman Omachi Gekkeikan Horin Haiku Nigori Zipang Plum Black & Gold Hakutsuru Sho Une Junmai Ginjo Sayuri Plum Wine Plum Wine Slim Ichishima Shuzo Futsuu Honjozo Junmai Genshu Junmai Ginjo Silk Deluxe Ginjo Koshu Mutual Trading Sumiyoshi Koshu Kikusui Junmai Ginjo Kikusui Organic Junmai Ginjo Nanbubijin Tokubestu Junmai Kikusui Funaguchi Sharaku Junmai Daiginjo Suigei Toku Junmai Hakkaisan Tokubestu Junmai Neo Sake Drop of Lake Suwa Water Lily Hwe Senkin Nigori 12
Sake Sake Social Igosso "Bull Head" Miwatari "God Crossing" Toyo no Aki "Autumn Reaping" SakeOne Organics Junmai Ginjo Organics Nigori Plum Coconut Lemongrass Tanrei Junmai Tokubetsu Honjozo Nigori Genshu Silkroad Wine & Spirits Mizbasho Ginjo Mizbasho Junmai Daiginjo Kuro Ninki Junmai Ginjo Mizuho Kuromatsu Kenbishi Kurosawa Junmai Kimoto Kurosawa Premium Reserve Katana Extra Dry Okunomatsu Tokubetsu Junmai Shichiken Junmai Ginjo Smart Assist Shinrai “Thunder Boy” Zuikan Aigamo Fukuju Tenpouichi Hattan Kamo Sakura Takara Sake Hana Infused Sakes Nigori Crème de Sake Nigori Silky Mild SCB Chokara SCB Classic SCB Ginjo SCB Organic Nama SCB Tokubetsu Junmai Shirakabegura Tokubetsu Junmai Sierra Cold Takara Plum
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Other Beverages Honest Tea Pomegranate White tea with Acai Honey Green Tea Mango Green Tea Orange Mango Pomegranate Blue Cranberry Lemonade Superfruit Punch
Maruhana Kurouma Shochu "Silver" Kurouma Shochu "Gold" Ramune (Japanese marble soda) Takara Sake Kissui Vodka
Yakult
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Marketing Materials
5x7 Postcard Design
Web Banners
Web Tiles
Newspaper Print Ad
T‐shirts
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For further information regarding the
Beer & Sake Festival please contact the
Japan Society of San Diego and Tijuana Office: 4883 Ronson Court, Suite K, San Diego, California 92111 Telephone: (858) 467‐1727 Fax: (858) 467‐1727 E‐mail: info@japan‐society.org Website: www.japan‐society.org
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