Celebrating FLAVORS OF SPRING 2026 !

Cheers to Flavors of Spring!

On Sunday, March 29, 2026, over 400 J-Sei community members celebrated 10 years of Flavors of Spring! Family, friends, and colleagues gathered at Bloc15 to support J-Sei’s vital services and programming for older adults, families, and communities. 

Guests enjoyed delicious tastings curated by J-Sei Chef Yuji Ishikata, with food and drink vendors Brian Ishii of Kiri, Always Aloha Shave Ice Co., Chefs Siew-Chinn Chin and Cheryl Lew, Good Morning 96, Joodooboo, Piglet & Co, Rintaro, Jizake Quest, Match Point Brewery, Mikami Vineyards.

Popular once again were the Silent Auction and Raffle! Thank you to our donors for the amazing Silent Auction items, such as a private sushi chef experience, udon masterclass, crab dinner, genealogy consultation, Mijoté dinner, Claremont Spa escape, basketball tickets, salmon sculpture, and many more. Three lucky winners won a Chez Panisse Cafe and Wine gift certificate, Pizza de Laura gift card, and Wine Tasting at Balletto Vineyards.

We were thrilled to have Ryan Takemiya emcee and Private Practice band return with their popular beats. Of course this event could not have happened without the leadership of co-chairs Wendy Kiniris and Lindsay Oda, supported by the most devoted committee members: Howard Ferrier, Jun Furuta, Yuji Ishikata, Hiroshi Kashiwagi, Aiko Kurokawa, Chris Nakashima, Tiffany Nguyen, Myron Okada, Linda Okahara, and Jill Uyeda. Special shout out goes to our kind sponsors who generously supported J-Sei and Flavors of Spring. [Scroll down to see our list of sponsors.]

A Huge Thank You to Our 2026 Sponsors

 Hasu (Lotus) Sponsor

Arch Insurance

Sakura (Cherry Blossom) Sponsors

Fukumae & Saman, LLC

Kaiser Permanente

Sadako Nimura Kashiwagi

Kei Matsuda & Charles Rick

Reiko Yamashita Nabeta

Gerry & Gail Nanbu

Robert & Margaret Sakai

Fred & Margo Takemiya

Ken & Naomi Yamada

Matsu (Pine) Sponsors

Anonymous

B-Dama, Inc.

Arthur Chen & Peggy Saika

Haylen Real Estate

Karen & Thomas Morioka

Chris Nishida & Terry Lee

Linda Okahara & Balaram Puligandla

Quin Oaks Investment Group

Take (Bamboo) Sponsors

Belmont Village Albany

Berkeley Buddhist Temple

Berkeley Chapter, JACL

Buddhist Church of Oakland

Buddhist Temple of Alameda

Lorna M. Fong

Paul & Joan Fujii

Grateful Crane Ensemble

Hiroshi F. Kashiwagi

Kimochi, Inc.

Steven T. Kobayashi, DDS, Inc.

Steve Matsumoto

Monterey Market

Aki & Emi Nakao

Glenn & Amy Shinsako

In Memory of Tomiye Nimura Sumner

Jane Tanamachi

Dr. Himeo Tsumori

Betty & Doug Yamamoto

Ume (Plum) Sponsors

Erin Kagehiro Anoruo

Berkeley Bowl Marketplace

Children’s Dentistry–Nicholas Ching, DDS, Inc.

East Bay Healthy Smiles Berkeley

Eden Township Japanese Community Center, Eden JACL, Eden Seniors

El Cerrito Royale

FirstLight Home Care Alameda

Matthew & Nancy Fujikawa

Peter M. Fukumae, CPA

Wes Fukumori & Corinna Wan

James Furuichi

Karlsson & Lane

Wendy & Vas Kiniris

Wayne & Suzie Koide

Thomas C. Layton & Gyöngy Laky

Moriwaki, Imai & Fujita, Inc. dba MIF Insurance Agency

Jane Naito, Ikebana Now

Peter & Lynn Nakaso

Jodi Nishimura Group at Kai Real Estate

Ed Oda & Lois Shimasaki-Oda

Satoshi & Elaine Steimetz

Noel Wax & Satoko Furuta, GroundSwell Group

Diane Wong

Kay Yatabe

2026 Flavors of Spring

A TASTING EVENT

DELICIOUS SAMPLINGS BY LOCAL CHEFS WHO REPRESENT THE BAY AREA’S RICH CULINARY SCENE

Sunday, March 29, 2026

2:00 to 5:00 pm

Bloc15, 252 2nd St, Oakland

 

FEATURING

Aloha Shave Ice

Joodooboo

Chef Siew Chinn Chin

Chef Cheryl Lew

Piglet and Co

Good Morning 96

Rintaro

Chef Brian Ishii

Chef Yuji Ishikata

Jizake Quest

Match Point Brewing

Mikami Vineyards

 

Special thanks also to

The Japanese Pantry and Pursuit Farms

 

Music by Private Practice

Emcee Ryan Takemiya

Silent Auction

Raffle