There are lots of ways to mark the arrival of summer. You can head to the beach, sit on a patio, or stay out a little later than usual because the sun gives you permission. Another option is to sit down and eat.

On June 28, Chef Tomoko Tahara of Mæst Food will present a one-day-only Summer tasting menu that celebrates the shift into early summer through vegetables, foraged ingredients, fermentation, and tea. The five-course plant-based experience was created in collaboration with Tsuen Tea, Japan’s oldest tea house, which has been serving tea since 1160 (try to fathom that!)

The menu centres around this year’s shincha, the first tea harvest of the season, which will appear throughout the meal alongside cold brews, tea pairings, and alcohol-free cocktails. The food itself draws from both Japanese and New Nordic traditions, two culinary cultures that share an appreciation for seasonality, preservation, and paying attention to what the landscape is offering at a particular moment.

Expect dishes like zucchini flower tempura, fermented young blueberry salad with sea asparagus and cucumber, roasted cabbage with black currant miso, and anmitsu (refreshing Japanese cold dessert) finished with fig leaf blue jelly, cherry, and chocolate bean paste ice cream: very ‘of the season’ menu without becoming overly precious about it.

For those unfamiliar with her work, Tahara has logged hours in the kitchens of AnnaLena, Published on Main, The Acorn, and Harken Coffee, as well as a stint training at MAD Academy in Copenhagen and an internship at Inua in Tokyo. Through Mæst Food, she draws on what she learned through those experiences to create plant-based meals for small-scale, seasonally inspired dinners.

Part of why we like to share news of Tahara’s events is that she seems to pursue techniques like fermentation, preservation, and foraging out of genuine curiosity rather than as a flex. They’re simply tools she uses to better understand and express an ingredient, guided by a respect for nature. We think that’s pretty cool.

Limited seats available (12pm, 2:30pm & 5:15pm) – so if a multi-course plant-based, tea-focused summer meal sounds like your kinda thing, this is a good event to scoop a seat at before they are all scooped up. Tickets Here.

Sunday, June 28 | 12pm, 2:30pm & 5:15pm | $140 Includes 5 courses, tea pairings, tea-based drinks, and gratuity