TaNoTa Takoyaki Builds Bridges in Local Japanese Community Despite Pandemic

Pass by their takeout window, and you might just catch a glimpse of founder and chef Takeo Shibatani in action, turning the golden brown takoyaki in a giant cast iron mold. “My favorite part is when I cook takoyaki,” he says. “People watch how we cook it and then they say, ‘Oh, it's going to be like a round shape!’ They’re always surprised!” For those unfamiliar, takoyaki is a street food originating from Osaka-- Takeo’s hometown.The wheat and egg-based batter is filled with octopus, tempura, pickled ginger, and onion, then continuously turned in the hot mold to form the shape of a ball. It’s then served piping hot, topped with a sweet and tangy sauce, mayo, seaweed, and bonito flakes.

Screen Shot 2021-06-18 at 4.39.06 PM.png

Like many of the business owners in the Little Tokyo neighborhood, Takeo is first generation, having immigrated to the United States in 2007. He previously worked for a food company in Japan, but soon recognized he was ready to create something of his own. “I grew up with takoyaki, so that is my soul food,” he mentions. “I didn't want to do what someone else was doing already. I wanted to do something different.” While other restaurants were reheating mass-produced, processed takoyaki, Takeo focused on making everything from scratch-- including the batter, made with a broth boiled for 5 hours with 10 different kinds of fruits and vegetables, chicken bone, kelp, and bonito. Akin to Takeo’s desire to introduce a unique Japanese culinary experience, is his experimentation with both American and Japanese toppings. TaNoTa prides itself on its various flavors of takoyaki, including crowd favorites like mentaiko (spicy caviar) and parmesan truffle.

Even so, Takeo didn’t get his start easily with the restaurant. When he arrived in the US, he struggled to get his start. That is, until he met Nori and Taichi. “My older friends invested in me and helped with the money. Cause [when I first came here,] I didn't have anything-- no money, no visa, nothing! But I did have passion,” he says thinking back. So to pay homage to his friends and now mentors, Takeo decided to name his business after them. By taking the first two letters of each of their names (T-A-, N-O-, T-A-), the name TaNoTa was born. 

Screen Shot 2021-06-18 at 4.39.16 PM.png

With his friends’ support, Takeo started out with a food truck. Once a week, he would visit Little Tokyo to sell in front of Toshi Sushi (which is no longer in business), until he was invited to sell as a food vendor at local festivals. “When we used to do festivals, most people didn't know what takoyaki was, but they can come to see what it is when we cook it, right? Then they say ‘Oh, how curious. It's really good’. And then more and more people start to come-- it really creates such a big line,” he reminisces. “When I’m cooking, I feel very good. Like okay, I’m really doing something special here.” 

The booming success of the Japanese food events and festivals led to the eventual partnership with Chinchikurin, the okonomiyaki business that they share a space with. Okonomiyaki is also a popular soul food hailing from Osaka, so it only made sense for the two to collaborate. 

But since the pandemic hit, like many small businesses, TaNoTa has had its share of struggles. “As a business person, number one [struggle] was money,” he points out. “After PPP, it was better because even if sales are no good we could operate, [which means] I can pay my employees.” Takeo conveyed that the people he works with are especially important to him and how not being able to hire many of them back was very hard. “I didn't want to do that, but I had to,” he adds. “I didn't have enough money then [because] I usually go to food events. Every summer, it's very, very busy, but all the events were canceled. I [usually] had 10 to 15 people for the events-- they couldn't work. I realized then I didn't have power [over that]-- so that made me feel terrible.” Amador, who works back of house at TaNoTa, feels similarly. He shares that while he’s worried about hours and pay, he’s also thinking about their customers. “Before the pandemic, we’d have regulars coming in every week,” he recalls. “But now, after closing down outdoor dining, they don’t come by-- maybe it’s because they don’t have jobs, or I don’t know what exactly.” 

Screen Shot 2021-06-18 at 4.39.29 PM.png

Luckily, they both have a great deal of support from the Little Tokyo Service Center. Takeo mentions how grateful he is to have the help of Mariko, a small business consultant, who often drops by to check in and assist with anything he might need. It is widely acknowledged that government aid can be difficult to understand, but Takeo noted that this is even more challenging if your first language isn’t English. “Because I couldn't speak English well, a document like PPP was hard to understand,” he explains. But the Little Tokyo Service Center has helped TaNoTa and the other Little Tokyo small businesses to persevere throughout the pandemic. 

As for the neighboring businesses and restaurants in the Little Tokyo area, Takeo felt that things were initially a little more disconnected. “They didn’t want to talk together-- like with other Japanese business owners. I didn't like that,” he discloses. But with the pandemic hitting small businesses so hard, it soon became evident that the Japanese community needed to band together. From exchanging information to collaborating on pop up events, Takeo has strengthened relationships with Japanese businesses both in Little Tokyo and all throughout Southern California. “We’re building bridges with each other. Don’t get me wrong, COVID-19 is terrible. But for the Japanese community? In a way, this is very good,” he says.

Screen Shot 2021-06-18 at 4.39.40 PM.png

Moving forward, Takeo continues to adapt to the constant changes of the pandemic. While TaNoTa is continuing to push for sale of their takoyaki sauces, frozen products, and home kits, Takeo is expanding his endeavors. With many restaurants shut down and looking for new streams of revenue, he is partnering with local Japanese ramen shops on a concept called Ramen District that will ship frozen ramen. Having had the idea for this concept a few years ago, the pandemic presented both a strengthened network of ramen shops and a new market demand. “It's exactly the same thing as the restaurant,” he reveals. “All the soup, noodles, and ingredients get frozen, and then delivered to the home. I had the idea for the ramen because frozen ramen is very popular in Japan.”

Now that Takeo is beginning to connect and strengthen relationships in the Japanese community, he also wants to be an ambassador of Japanese culture to others. Pursuing his dream of bringing authentic takoyaki to Los Angeles has allowed him to build a strong community around Japanese food. And with Little Tokyo being both a historic and tourist heavy neighborhood, the opportunities to share his culture with visitors are endless. While introducing takoyaki to curious people who pass by may be a start, this is only the beginning. 

And in the meantime? Takeo states: “As long as I can be patient, the restaurant will open up again for sure. If I could tell my customers one thing, it’d be that tomorrow is coming. Right? Even though we’re talking about business and how the pandemic has been a very negative thing for restaurants-- I just want to think, ‘Okay. Tomorrow the sun will rise’. So that's what I want to tell everyone. Be positive. Tomorrow is coming.”

Screen Shot 2021-06-18 at 4.39.51 PM.png

About Voices:

Voices is the creative storytelling team within OTP. Voices is a platform to amplify the personal stories of participants within the food economy: foodservice professionals, community partners, volunteers, and those who receive food.  We focus on underrepresented groups in OTP cities across the country, sharing their fears, perspectives, hopes, and outlooks on the future of food and hunger. Through multimedia, interviews, portraits, and short videos, we produce authentic and thoughtful content to highlight the diversity, talents, and cultures of the people who prepare, serve, and receive food. 

About Off Their Plate: 

Off Their Plate empowers local kitchens led by women and people of color to feed their communities through employment and nutrition.  We are an entirely volunteer corps of business people, engineers and creatives, partnering with food industry workers to build a more equitable food economy.  To date, we have served over 750,000 hot meals across 11 cities.  Along the way, we are advocating for fair worker pay, repurposing ingredient waste, and reimagining how to address hunger.  

Sources:

Visit Little Tokyo Website

TaNoTa Takoyaki Website

This article was originally published by Off Their Plate, a nonprofit organization empowering local kitchens led by women and people of color. As a part of their Voices campaign, Off Their Plate is amplifying the personal stories of underrepresented participants within the food economy.

Next
Next

A Legacy Not So Minnie