Interview with Kondo of Kobo KIBITAKI
We spoke with Tomiko Kondo, who runs cooking classes at Kobo KIBITAKI in Kojima, Kurashiki City, about what inspires her classes.
A love of handmade goods inspired her to start teaching
What inspired you to start cooking classes?
Kondo (surname only hereafter)
I’ve always loved baking bread and sweets myself to feed my children or give to friends. I mostly made simple, additive-free foods that could be prepared with things you already have at home, without any special equipment. I’d always wanted to share more recipes like that.
Then a friend opened a cafe and asked me, “Would you like to try running a bread-making class?” I gave it a try, and it was so much fun making things together.
Some time later, just as I was leaving my job, I renovated my home, so I thought I could hold classes here too and decided to get started.
Sharing recipes that make you want to cook them again at home
What do you prioritize in your classes?
Kondo
I try to choose dishes that are simple enough for anyone to make, good for your health, and ones people will make again at home. If they’re too difficult, people won’t keep at it, so I value recipes that are easy to recreate.
It would be a shame to learn something and then never make it at home, wouldn’t it?
Sensing growing interest in rice flour bread
Is the popularity of your rice flour bread classes also due to how easy it is to incorporate them into everyday life?
Kondo
At first, I also made wheat bread, but more and more people started wanting to learn about rice flour. These days, more people are interested in rice flour.
Rice flour might seem difficult to work with, but it’s surprisingly easy to make things with once you try, and people appreciate that.
Healthy food in a form you can keep making without overdoing it
Is there anything you’d like people to take away from your classes?
Kondo
I want people to know that “making things by hand isn’t all that difficult.” There are many things you can easily make with tools you already have at home, and I think the best approach is to find a way to incorporate healthy foods into your daily life without pushing yourself.
I’d be happy if people could keep making these things at home without feeling pressured, even as they reach an age when they start thinking more about their health.
Taking a cooking class
In my everyday life, I sometimes find myself neglecting my meals.
However, the dishes taught at Kobo KIBITAKI were all easy to keep making without overdoing it, while still being kind to the body.
Of course, I want my family to eat safe and delicious food. It was a chance to reaffirm that feeling.
Making, eating, and talking together.
I think that time also gave me a chance to reconsider cooking habits and methods I hadn’t noticed on my own.
If you’d like to learn about food that’s gentle on the body, why not visit Kobo KIBITAKI?
Kobo KIBITAKI details
| Name | Kobo KIBITAKI |
|---|---|
| Address | 2-9-43 Kojima Akasaki, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Parking | Available |
| Hours | Held irregularly ※Requests for preferred dates are also possible |
| Payment methods |
|
| Website | Kobo KIBITAKI |
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