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FACES: Susumu Tsuchihashi, Owner of Fulfilled
You might not have heard of "ima" (short for Imagawa-yaki) yet, but with celebrity devotees like Paris Hilton and Tori Spelling, Japan's waffle-like answer to the American cupcake might just be the next big pastry. Luckily, you can always find one of the delicious filled buns (tee hee!) at Susumu Tsuchihashi's new Beverly Hills bakery, Fulfilled.
Playing off his Japanese heritage and Western sensibilities, the 29-year-old Los Angeles native has come up with a whole new take on the traditional Japanese street pastry. After our visit to his ima shop, we sat down with Tsuchihashi-who eschewed a lucrative consulting career to open Fulfilled-to talk about the rigors of starting a new business, the challenges of Eastern-Western fusion, and just what makes his little ima good enough to scream, "Hello, Kitty!"
LA.com: Why did you decide to open Fulfilled?
ST: Growing up as a kid, I always had an interest in food. I was always in the kitchen, and I realized in college that I had an interest in Japanese fusion kind of foods, but I never thought I could make a career out of it. When I was a junior in college, I did a one-year exchange in Tokyo, and while I was there, I attended a private culinary academy. That's where I got more formal cooking training. I always thought that it would be nice to have my own Japanese shop in L.A., but it wasn't until I'd worked in consulting for seven years that I gave it a try. I wanted to try something new and food-related that I've enjoyed since childhood, and that was related to my Japanese cultural background. Fulfilled is all of those things.
LA.com: What is the concept behind Fulfilled, and how did you come up with it?
ST: I've always wanted to introduce something new from Japan here in the U.S. It wasn't until last year that I thought of imagawa-yaki. When that whole craze of cupcakes as booming here in the U.S., I thought, what was the Japanese version? Cupcakes are a nostalgic comfort food that everyone grows up eating here. In Japan, that's imagawa-yaki. It's been around for hundreds of years. My grandparents grew up eating it. The reason I wanted to modernize the flavors is that in Japan, they only make it with azuki, red beans, and that's not a flavor Americans are too familiar with, so my idea was to adapt it for the market here.
LA.com: Why in Beverly Hills?
ST: Given the fact that there are no imagawa-yaki specialty shops here in the US, I knew I had to open the first location in an area where people are open to new trends, ideas, and foods. I chose not to do it in a Japanese-centric location like Sawtelle or Little Tokyo because my whole concept was to introduce this Japanese food to a non-Japanese public. I feel like a lot of these new concepts are born in Beverly Hills, like Sprinkles. Beverly Hills also has a lot of specialty shops, and I thought it was an area where people are open to trying out new specialties. You're able to cater to a lot of different people like tourists, retail workers, and the high-end crowd. So for a first location, I thought Beverly Hills was ideal, though I'd like to expand this concept everywhere. It's not meant to be this high-end patisserie shop. It's comfort food, street food. It's like me serving up hot dogs. I just thought it would be nice to serve it in a high-end environment, and that that shows how versatile the pastry can be as well.
LA.com: What distinguishes ima from other fads?
ST: It has been around since the early 1800s, so it has a deep-rooted tradition and a sense of nostalgia for Japanese people. I thought it would work well here in the U.S. market because it's something that doesn't exist here. It's made fresh to order, there's no oil in the batter, it's not deep-fried like a doughnut or beignet, and it is considered a novelty concept here in the U.S., it's not mainstream.
LA.com: Some of the menu items have interesting names like Honey Yakuza and Karaoke Kitty. What was your inspiration?
ST: Most of it is me being playful and having fun with terms from the Japanese culture that people here have been exposed to. It's a way to remind people that those terms are part of Japanese culture, just like imagawa-yaki are. The whole concept of the store, and the menu especially, is introducing something from "old" Japan and transforming it into a "new" Japan feel. That's why the menu names incorporate things like harajuku. The décor has traditional elements like the noren curtain, and Zen stools, and having the imagawa-yaki griddles at the storefront windows like they're traditionally served on the streets of Tokyo. I decided to incorporate those elements in the store, as well as having that contemporary feel-everything is minimalistic, with a vintage crystal chandelier, metallic feel with the floors and cabinets, mirrored counter tops, and displays of traditional Japanese dolls and tea boxes, along with new things like tokidoki toys.
LA.com: What was the biggest challenge you faced opening up Fulfilled?
ST: The biggest challenge is getting people to try this new Japanese pastry when they're still stuck on cupcakes. It's a whole educational process. I have to explain to people what it is, and convince them that it's a good alternative to cupcakes or doughnuts. People that do try it tend to love it, and they are my regulars. Some people come almost every day. I haven't lured the mainstream audience into trying this yet. I don't know if they're nervous about trying this new pastry, but I just want to educate them that there is this form of comfort food, and it's a good alternative that they should try one day.
LA.com: What are some of your favorite places for to eat around Los Angeles?
ST: I like fusion foods because I grew up eating traditional Japanese food and also American food. My favorites are places like Sona, Asia de Cuba, and Animal. I like those very eclectic sort of places. I feel like someone from Japan would definitely appreciate places like that, because I can't think of a restaurant in Japan that has menus like theirs. I also enjoy places like In & Out or Father's Office for a burger just as much as I like Sona. I really do.
