Bessou


Can you tell us about Bessou and its mission?

Bessou is a Japanese food brand based in New York City. We started the company in 2016, and today we have grown to a restaurant at the James Beard Food Market at Pier 57 and a second location opening at the end of this year at JFK Terminal 4. Last year, we launched a retail line of Japanese flavored popcorn snacks and pantry essentials that is rapidly growing and is now sold in over 100 stores nationwide.

At Bessou, we create everyday comfort food rooted in Japanese tradition and shaped by our New York story. From snacks to bentos, everything we make is crafted with warmth, care, and bold flavor. Bessou is all about Japanese flavors that feel like home, and our mission is to make Japanese flavors part of your everyday.

 

How did Bessou get started?

Bessou began 9 years ago as a cozy neighborhood restaurant on Bleecker Street in lower Manhattan. We were a local spot beloved by creative types—especially artists, musicians, and actors. The interior looked like an actual bessou (別荘), which in Japanese means “second home” or “vacation home.” We had an oversized paper lantern hanging from the center of the room and a wood-paneled counter where customers could sit and dine while watching the cooks make their food in the tiny open kitchen. Drawings, paintings, knickknacks, and ceramics given to us by friends and family adorned the shelves and walls. We served our version of Japanese home cooking—dishes like Hokkaido seafood hotpot with bacon and a thick slab of butter for the winter, cured (ichiyaboshi) grilled whole local fish, extra crispy karaage chicken, and our onigiri-meets-sushi spicy tuna crispy rice.

 

What inspires your craft, and what is the company’s philosophy?

Bessou’s philosophy is that comfort is universal, even when the flavors aren’t. We create food that feels like home—and for me, that home has always been New York. In a city where cultures constantly overlap and influence one another, food becomes a language of connection. Living in Queens, one of the most diverse places in the world, I’m reminded of that everyday.

I’ve never lived in Japan, but I grew up with a restaurateur father and a mother who cooked the kind of Japanese meals that made us understand our Japanese heritage. After losing my mother as a teenager, I started cooking to recreate her dishes and chase those food memories.

Bessou is my way of honoring those memories while making space for others to create their own. Our food is rooted in Japanese flavors but shaped by the spirit of New York—open-minded and grounded in this belief that comfort can cross cultural lines. Whether you’re trying furikake for the first time through our popcorn or whether you grew up eating it on rice, we hope our food feels both nostalgic and new.

 

How has the local environment influenced your flavors and techniques? How does your multicultural identity influence your products?

This city invites curiosity. It encourages you to reinterpret and blend influences. I can walk a few blocks and experience an entire world of flavors, and that is part of how I see food. Bessou’s playful combinations and bold flavors are a result of that influence.

As a Japanese American, my relationship to Japanese food has always been personal. I learned to cook through my mother’s home cooking and my own memories of them. That's why I wouldn't say our food is traditional, because there's so much that's been reinterpreted. Our flavors are filtered through my upbringing and a belief that food should be welcoming above all else.

 

Can you walk us through your process? Do you use any traditional techniques, and what makes Bessou stand out?

The process often starts with a memory. From there, we think about how to translate that feeling into something crave worthy. Those memories aren’t always rooted in Japanese flavors or foods. For example, miso caramel is a flavor my chef created and it's a nod to the classic Cracker Jacks. We wanted to remind people of the sweet and crunchy caramel corn but wanted to add a little savoriness. My chef and I both lean towards sweets that aren’t too sweet. That’s when she added a touch of miso. We also wanted to make the popcorn nut-free, unlike Cracker Jacks. We created a blend of three seeds—sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, and pepitas for a nut-free alternative. 

I think what makes Bessou stand out is it's approachability. We try to capture the balance of tasting nostalgic but not stuck in the past. That might mean using sake, soy sauce and mirin to marinate our karaage in a traditional style, but double frying it for extra crunch; or pairing furikake with popcorn. These pairings feel natural to us even if it may not be to others. It’s what makes it feel very New York.

 

What do you want your customers to experience when using your products?

I imagine someone eating our fried chicken at the airport or sprinkling furikake on their eggs at home, and having their mind blown by how incredible the flavors are!

Jokes aside, I hope that our products leave people curious and ready to open their minds to other flavors. Even if someone’s trying Japanese food for the first time, I want the flavors to feel inviting, not intimidating. And for those who did grow up with them, I hope there’s a feeling of recognition—like a little nod to some memory.

 

How does the company incorporate sustainable practices into its production?

Sustainability is an ongoing commitment for us. At our restaurant at Pier 57, we use compostable materials whenever possible and carry only aluminum-canned or glass-bottled drinks to minimize single-use plastic. For a long time, the only utensils we carried were chopsticks to try to commit to a plastic-free environment. While we’re not entirely plastic-free, we prioritize recyclable and compostable options wherever we can.

For our products, we designed our pantry essentials in high-quality glass jars in order to be reused. They’re child-proof, sturdy, and intentionally designed to be something you’d want to display, keep, and repurpose at home. As a small business, we believe sustainability lives in thoughtful, everyday choices. 

 

What is a typical day like for the Bessou team?

We're a small team, so we all wear a lot of hats. Mornings at Pier 57 usually start with our prep cook frying cases of karaage chicken and preparing rice and other mis en place for the day’s service.

In the afternoon, our tiny kitchen will transform into a popping room where we produce enough popcorn for the day or next 2 days’ worth of orders. Because our popcorn has a limited shelf life, we produce fresh popcorn per order and generally ship almost immediately after orders are prepared. I am usually focused on the growth side of the business: doing sample tastings of our popcorn, taking meetings with wholesalers, offsite caterings, etc.

Everyday is bustling and a bit chaotic, but somehow it works because we love what we're building.

 

Where do you see Bessou in 10 years?

I'm not sure exactly how Bessou will evolve, but in 10 years, I hope Bessou is still sharing ways for people to bring comfort and Japanese flavor into their everyday lives.

Some things I am saying out loud into the universe to manifest: I hope there's a cookbook! Would love to share the best Bessou and home recipes we've created over the years. Maybe there will be a cooking show for kids - something I've always thought is missing from the American TV landscape and is so important. Growing kids' curiosity about food early is the key to good eatings habits as grownups!

If I can keep sharing Japanese flavors in ways that feel joyful, comforting, and a little unexpected, there's nothing more rewarding than that.


Shop our collection of Bessou products here