The guests that day were people used to eating at the very best tables.
In front of them, we set new-harvest rice, cooked over a wood fire in a hagama, as a dish on the same level as the finest cuisine.
Host | An owner of a collection of Japanese classic cars (name withheld)
Date | 3 October 2026
Our role | Space direction; tent, tables and bar counter; food; drinks
Key facts
Lunch after a Japanese classic car test drive, 3 October 2026. The site was empty; we built the tent, tables, bar counter and seating from scratch.
The centrepiece: new-harvest Gorobei rice cooked over a wood fire in a hagama (a traditional rice pot), finished as dashi chazuke with a broth of about eight kinds of mushrooms foraged the day before.
Also served: charcoal-grilled wild ayu from Gifu and whole chicken, a gin and tonic made with udo picked on site, and hanamame ohagi.
Most guests went back for seconds twice, and every dish ran out.
Team: creative director Sayuri, chef Mizuno, drinks Han.
Not just serving food, but bringing people together
The host team didn't simply ask us to "serve food." They wanted the meal to bring the guests closer to one another. That was the heart of the brief.
The venue held a collection of Japanese classic cars: cars into which Japanese craftsmen poured their passion and pushed their skills to the limit. Guests would test-drive them, then sit down to eat with the excitement still fresh, appreciating the good old things of Japan and talking with the person beside them. That was the time we aimed for.
Charcoal-grilled wild ayu from Gifu, a river fish awarded the title of Japan's best
New rice, in the same place as the finest food
What do you serve people who know the finest food? We chose not to pile on expensive ingredients, but to serve rice: the thing we eat every day without a second thought.
The event fell just as the new rice comes in. We cooked it the old way, over a wood fire in a hagama, and served it at its very best, when the steam and the aroma take over every sense. We wanted to set two kinds of craftsmanship side by side at one table: the craftsmanship of machines, in the cars, and the craftsmanship of the land, in the rice.
Brand rice: new-harvest Gorobei rice
The other reason was a Japanese saying, "eating rice from the same pot" (onaji kama no meshi o kuu), which means sharing life closely with someone. Sharing rice from one pot with everyone there becomes a small ritual that turns guests into companions.
Eating Karuizawa, drinking the forest
How to dress the new rice? We wanted to express "eating Karuizawa itself" and "drinking the forest." Looking for what was in season that day, we arrived at mushrooms.
The day before the event, we went into the mountains with a friend who is a master mushroom forager, and came back with about eight kinds. We made a broth with them and served it at the end of the meal, poured over the new rice as dashi chazuke. This bowl drew an especially big response that day.
We displayed the mushrooms we had picked at the venue. Few people ever go into the mountains to look for mushrooms. What was on the mountain yesterday is in your bowl today, and that closeness was part of the feast. Most guests went back for seconds twice, and every dish ran out. That rarely happens at a catered event. People who know the finest food came back for one more bowl of hagama rice. That was our answer for the day.
Charcoal-grilled whole chicken
Meat is a must at a barbecue, so we grilled whole chickens over charcoal, keeping the fun of a classic BBQ while giving the whole menu a Japanese touch.
A restaurant, built from nothing
There was nothing at the venue. Tents, tables, the bar counter, even the seating layout: our creative director SAYURI built it all from scratch. Into that space came chef Mizuno and Han on drinks.
Udo gin and tonic
We harvested udo, a bitter seasonal plant growing at the venue, distilled it, and developed a new recipe for the day's signature drink.
Car events and food
This was a car event for collectors of Japanese classic cars. In September, we also catered a lunch for owners of an Italian supercar maker (→ Food as the Destination: Lunch for 80 Supercar Owners).
What do people who drove in, or came to see the cars, eat and talk about at the same table afterwards? We think a meal at a car event carries the day's experience forward. Test drives, owners' meetings, collectors' gatherings: we are keen to cater more car events.
A model for our BBQ
RUSTIC BBQ
We want this lunch to become the model for how RUSTIC approaches BBQ: not just gathering around grilled meat, but sharing what that land offers in that season, right there, together. A way of eating that brings people together.
Hanamame ohagi
Hanamame beans, a Nagano speciality, made into a dessert with ohagi of new Gorobei rice and walnut miso.
FAQ
Can you cater a venue with no kitchen?
Yes. This site had nothing; we built the tent, tables, bar and seating, and our chefs and bartenders finish everything on site.
Do you cater car events?
Yes: test drives, owners' meetings and collectors' gatherings. In September 2026 we served lunch for 80 supercar owners.
How much does it cost?
Grazing table from 10 guests, minimum ¥100,000; full course from 10 guests, from ¥15,000 per person; mobile bar from 15 guests, from ¥6,000 per person. All prices exclude tax. Staff, travel, rentals and service charge are quoted separately for your guest count and venue. See Catering & Mobile Bar for details.
How far ahead should we book?
Please contact us at least three months before your event.
TEAM
Creative director: Sayuri
Food: Mizuno
Drinks: Han
Mushrooms: a master mushroom forager from Karuizawa (Ken)
Set-up & operation: THE BASE & RUSTIC
Planning a similar event?
Test drives, owners' meetings, collectors' gatherings, outdoor meals: even if there is nothing at the venue, talk to us. From tents and seating to food, drinks and the bar, one team does it all.