During my short (but intense) stay in New York City, I was lucky enough to be apart of the opening of Black Seed Bagels in Nolita. Long story short, I saw their posting for bakers online, emailed them, was in an interview 20 minutes later, then at their soft opening just two days after that. Black Seed was my first experience in a professional kitchen, and head chef/baker Dianna Daoheung took me under her wing and taught me everything she could. 

As a way to show my appreciation and to bring an exciting new class to Hawai‘i, I pitched the concept of having Black Seed come to the islands for a few days... and the idea stuck. The first bagel class sold out in less than 24 hrs, the second in less than a week, a response that was overwhelming and exciting.

For the following weeks, I spent my time coordinating the menu with the chef and purveyors, shopping all over the creation for necessary ingredients (you can't find dried malt anywhere on the island), hiring helpers, and organizing the class schedule, timeline, and itinerary. 

On game day, everything for our two back-to-back classes went on smoothly. It was surreal, and a great success for the first class I've ever planned from the ground up.

Photos by Mark Kushimi.