New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu

[Guest guest]

right down the street from my abode...

actually, i was riding home the other day and went " holy crap, hodo soy is in my

neighborhood! "

 

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/11/12/DDEL1AE27E.DTL

 

 

New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu

Patricia Yollin, Special to The Chronicle

 

Thursday, November 12, 2009

 

 

--

 

 

--

 

Too bland. Too rubbery. Too spongy. Too puzzling.

 

When the subject is tofu, these are often the adjectives. This soy product gets

bashed and trashed, and nobody knows it better than Minh Tsai, who has spent

five years convincing people that it doesn't have to be that way.

 

 

The 38-year-old Albany resident makes and sells tofu to customers at 10 Bay Area

farmers' markets and to top restaurants such as Greens, Coi and the Slanted

Door. In mid-October, his company, Hodo Soy Beanery, opened a state-of-the-art

factory in Oakland. He plans to begin public tours and tastings next month.

 

 

" We want to demystify and educate, " said Tsai, sounding much like an evangelist.

 

When he was growing up in Vietnam, his grandfather would take him to the local

tofu shack in the morning, where everything was freshly made. In 1980, Tsai

escaped with his family - on a boat that ran into pirates - and spent six months

at a Malaysian refugee camp. At age 11, he arrived in the Bay Area.

 

" I was surprised there wasn't quality tofu like what I was used to, " Tsai said.

 

Tsai became an investment banker and management consultant but never put aside

his quest for decent tofu. Finally he decided to make it himself. One day in

2004, he brought his creations to the farmers' market in Palo Alto. They sold

out in two hours.

 

" People like eating this tofu because it actually tastes good, " said Daniel

Patterson, executive chef and owner of Coi in San Francisco. " That's not true of

supermarket stuff. "

 

Patterson uses Hodo Soy tofu and yuba (tofu skin) at his restaurant, which has

earned four stars from The Chronicle. One of his dishes combines medium and soft

tofu with egg white, ginger and white soy sauce - all steamed at the bottom of a

bowl - under mushroom dashi. Yuba, fresh seaweed and pickled turnip float on

top.

 

Charles Phan features Hodo Soy tofu at the Slanted Door in San Francisco, where

it is stir-fried with lemongrass, shitakes and roasted chiles.

 

Tsai calls Hodo Soy's 12 ready-to-eat dishes - such as spicy soy croquettes and

braised tofu salad - " conversion products, " designed to shatter tofu resistance.

 

On a recent Saturday at the Berkeley Farmers' Market, Tsai greeted old customers

and looked for new ones. As in the drug trade, the first fix is always free.

 

" Hey, come on over, " he called out, gesturing to a table full of samples.

" You've never had tofu like this before. " Tsai says his conversion rate is at

least 50 percent.

 

" Lordy, Lordy, " said shopper Michael McCarthy, smitten by the tofu jerky. " It's

hard to find a new flavor I haven't experienced. "

 

Not everyone succumbs. " I like dead animals, " one man declared.

 

" People say there's too much estrogen in tofu and that I'll get female

characteristics, " fretted another.

 

" Tofu has the same physical properties as estrogen, but not the same chemical

ones, " Tsai replied. " Men come up to me all the time and say, 'I hear I'm going

to get a squeaky voice and grow breasts.' If that's true, I'm in the wrong

business. "

 

It looks like the right business at the moment. The 12,000-square-foot beanery

is almost five times the size of the old plant in San Jose, which means Hodo Soy

will be able to sell to more retail outlets, such as Berkeley Bowl and Whole

Foods, in addition to its current clients, Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco and

Diablo Foods in Lafayette.

 

Hodo Soy uses dry organic soybeans that are grown at a Midwest farmers'

cooperative and are not genetically modified. They're rehydrated and turned into

soy milk, which becomes tofu when coagulant is added. The cream on top of the

warm soy milk is transformed into yuba, which Tsai describes as the " sashimi of

soy. "

 

" It's like the most tender pappardelle pasta you've ever had, " said Hodo Soy

co-founder Dean Ku as he gazed at rows of yuba drying in the factory.

 

" We wanted to be here because freshness is very important, " co-owner John Hotz

said. " You can't be more centrally located than in West Oakland. "

 

For more information on products, farmers' market locations and public tours, go

to hodosoy.com.

 

 

 

 

 

Inside: Etoile grabs 3 1/2 stars, plus Inside Scoop restaurant news. E3

 

Food & Wine: Thanksgiving extravaganza - recipes, wines and how-to's. Sunday

 

 

Patricia Yollin is a former Chronicle staff writer. E-mail her at

food.

 

This article appeared on page E - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle

 

 

 

Read more:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/11/12/DDEL1AE27E.DTL#ixzz0\

WfETpDQd

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You're just jealous because the voices only talk to me!

[Guest guest]

Have you tasted it?Patricia--- On Thu, 11/12/09, fraggle <EBbrewpunx wrote:fraggle <EBbrewpunx New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu"vegan chat" , "vegan-network" <vegan-network >Thursday, November 12, 2009, 8:41 AMright down the street from my abode...actually, i was riding home the other day and went "holy crap, hodo soy is in my neighborhood!"http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/11/12/DDEL1AE27E.DTLNew factory to help unravel mystery that's tofuPatricia Yollin, Special to The ChronicleThursday, November 12, 2009----Too bland. Too rubbery. Too spongy. Too puzzling. When the subject is tofu, these are often the adjectives. This soy product gets bashed and trashed, and nobody knows it better than Minh Tsai, who has spent five years convincing people that it doesn't have to be that way. The 38-year-old Albany resident makes and sells tofu to customers at 10 Bay Area farmers' markets and to top restaurants such as Greens, Coi and the Slanted Door. In mid-October, his company, Hodo Soy Beanery, opened a state-of-the-art factory in

Oakland. He plans to begin public tours and tastings next month. "We want to demystify and educate," said Tsai, sounding much like an evangelist. When he was growing up in Vietnam, his grandfather would take him to the local tofu shack in the morning, where everything was freshly made. In 1980, Tsai escaped with his family - on a boat that ran into pirates - and spent six months at a Malaysian refugee camp. At age 11, he arrived in the Bay Area. "I was surprised there wasn't quality tofu like what I was used to," Tsai said. Tsai became an investment banker and management consultant but never put aside his quest for decent tofu. Finally he decided to make it himself. One day in 2004, he brought his creations to the farmers' market in Palo Alto. They sold out in two hours. "People like eating this tofu because it actually tastes good," said Daniel Patterson, executive chef and owner of Coi in San Francisco.

"That's not true of supermarket stuff." Patterson uses Hodo Soy tofu and yuba (tofu skin) at his restaurant, which has earned four stars from The Chronicle. One of his dishes combines medium and soft tofu with egg white, ginger and white soy sauce - all steamed at the bottom of a bowl - under mushroom dashi. Yuba, fresh seaweed and pickled turnip float on top. Charles Phan features Hodo Soy tofu at the Slanted Door in San Francisco, where it is stir-fried with lemongrass, shitakes and roasted chiles. Tsai calls Hodo Soy's 12 ready-to-eat dishes - such as spicy soy croquettes and braised tofu salad - "conversion products," designed to shatter tofu resistance. On a recent Saturday at the Berkeley Farmers' Market, Tsai greeted old customers and looked for new ones. As in the drug trade, the first fix is always free. "Hey, come on over," he called out, gesturing to a table full of samples. "You've never had tofu like

this before." Tsai says his conversion rate is at least 50 percent. "Lordy, Lordy," said shopper Michael McCarthy, smitten by the tofu jerky. "It's hard to find a new flavor I haven't experienced." Not everyone succumbs. "I like dead animals," one man declared. "People say there's too much estrogen in tofu and that I'll get female characteristics," fretted another."Tofu has the same physical properties as estrogen, but not the same chemical ones," Tsai replied. "Men come up to me all the time and say, 'I hear I'm going to get a squeaky voice and grow breasts.' If that's true, I'm in the wrong business." It looks like the right business at the moment. The 12,000-square-foot beanery is almost five times the size of the old plant in San Jose, which means Hodo Soy will be able to sell to more retail outlets, such as Berkeley Bowl and Whole Foods, in addition to its current clients, Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco and

Diablo Foods in Lafayette. Hodo Soy uses dry organic soybeans that are grown at a Midwest farmers' cooperative and are not genetically modified. They're rehydrated and turned into soy milk, which becomes tofu when coagulant is added. The cream on top of the warm soy milk is transformed into yuba, which Tsai describes as the "sashimi of soy.It's like the most tender pappardelle pasta you've ever had," said Hodo Soy co-founder Dean Ku as he gazed at rows of yuba drying in the factory. "We wanted to be here because freshness is very important," co-owner John Hotz said. "You can't be more centrally located than in West Oakland." For more information on products, farmers' market locations and public tours, go to hodosoy.com. Inside: Etoile grabs 3 1/2 stars, plus Inside Scoop restaurant news. E3Food & Wine: Thanksgiving extravaganza - recipes, wines and how-to's.

SundayPatricia Yollin is a former Chronicle staff writer. E-mail her at food.This article appeared on page E - 1 of the San Francisco ChronicleRead more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/11/12/DDEL1AE27E.DTL#ixzz0WfETpDQdYou're just jealous because the voices only talk to me!---To send an email to -! Groups Links<*> To visit your group on the web, go

to: /<*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional<*> To change settings online go to: /join ( ID required)<*> To change settings via email: -digest -fullfeatured <*>

[Guest guest]

I have, and it's wonderful. I normally don't go out of my way to

eat tofu, but I tasted some of their prepared tofu dishes at the

farmers' market and then bought a chunk of plain tofu. It wasn't bland

like other tofu I've had; it had a flavor.

 

But their food was expensive -- iirc, $5-6 for the tiny container

of prepared dishes, and a couple dollars for what looked like half the

size of a " silken tofu " chunk. It's much more dense, though,

so it may have weighed a pound. And, as I said, it didn't taste like

any tofu I'd ever had before, so it's worth it for tofu lovers. Hodo

plain tofu tasted better than any of the various

precooked/marinated/flavored tofus I've tried. I've been meaning to

get more, but haven't been to that market for a while.

 

 

At 1:35 PM -0800 11/12/09, Patricia wrote:

Have you tasted it?

 

Patricia

 

--- On Thu, 11/12/09, fraggle <EBbrewpunx

wrote:

 

right down the street from my abode...

actually, i was riding home the other day and went " holy crap,

hodo soy is in my neighborhood! "

 

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/11/12/DDEL1AE27E.DTL

 

 

New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu

Patricia Yollin, Special to The Chronicle

[Guest guest]

I'm in OC so I doubt if I'll get a chance to taste it.Patricia--- On Thu, 11/12/09, fraggle <EBbrewpunx wrote:fraggle <EBbrewpunxRe: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu Date: Thursday, November 12, 2009, 1:43 PM

 

Hodo? oh, all the time. its one of my fave tofu's out there. we get it all the time at local farmers markets, either Berkeley or the Oakland Temescal one.

if i had one complaint, is that its toooo fresh. if you don't use it in two days or so, they tend to start growing friends quickly!

their tofu recipe dishes are pretty good as well. we generally buy two or three different ones and have em fer lunch after a morning at the farmers market...

Patricia Nov 12, 2009 4:35 PM Re: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu

 

 

 

 

 

Have you tasted it?Patricia--- On Thu, 11/12/09, fraggle <EBbrewpunx@earthlin k.net> wrote:

fraggle <EBbrewpunx@earthlin k.net> New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu"vegan chat" <@gro ups.com>, "vegan-network" <vegan-network>Thursday, November 12, 2009, 8:41 AM

right down the street from my abode...actually, i was riding home the other day and went "holy crap, hodo soy is in my neighborhood! "http://www.sfgate. com/cgi-bin/ article.cgi? f=/c/a/2009/ 11/12/DDEL1AE27E .DTLNew factory to help unravel mystery that's tofuPatricia Yollin, Special to The ChronicleThursday, November 12, 2009------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ----------------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -----Too bland. Too rubbery. Too spongy. Too puzzling. When the subject is tofu, these are often the adjectives. This soy product gets bashed and trashed, and nobody knows it better than Minh Tsai, who has spent five years convincing people that it

doesn't have to be that way. The 38-year-old Albany resident makes and sells tofu to customers at 10 Bay Area farmers' markets and to top restaurants such as Greens, Coi and the Slanted Door. In mid-October, his company, Hodo Soy Beanery, opened a state-of-the- art factory in Oakland. He plans to begin public tours and tastings next month. "We want to demystify and educate," said Tsai, sounding much like an evangelist. When he was growing up in Vietnam, his grandfather would take him to the local tofu shack in the morning, where everything was freshly made. In 1980, Tsai escaped with his family - on a boat that ran into pirates - and spent six months at a Malaysian refugee camp. At age 11, he arrived in the Bay Area. "I was surprised there wasn't quality tofu like what I was used to," Tsai said. Tsai became an investment banker and management consultant but never put aside his quest for decent tofu.

Finally he decided to make it himself. One day in 2004, he brought his creations to the farmers' market in Palo Alto. They sold out in two hours. "People like eating this tofu because it actually tastes good," said Daniel Patterson, executive chef and owner of Coi in San Francisco. "That's not true of supermarket stuff." Patterson uses Hodo Soy tofu and yuba (tofu skin) at his restaurant, which has earned four stars from The Chronicle. One of his dishes combines medium and soft tofu with egg white, ginger and white soy sauce - all steamed at the bottom of a bowl - under mushroom dashi. Yuba, fresh seaweed and pickled turnip float on top. Charles Phan features Hodo Soy tofu at the Slanted Door in San Francisco, where it is stir-fried with lemongrass, shitakes and roasted chiles. Tsai calls Hodo Soy's 12 ready-to-eat dishes - such as spicy soy croquettes and braised tofu salad - "conversion products," designed to shatter

tofu resistance. On a recent Saturday at the Berkeley Farmers' Market, Tsai greeted old customers and looked for new ones. As in the drug trade, the first fix is always free. "Hey, come on over," he called out, gesturing to a table full of samples. "You've never had tofu like this before." Tsai says his conversion rate is at least 50 percent. "Lordy, Lordy," said shopper Michael McCarthy, smitten by the tofu jerky. "It's hard to find a new flavor I haven't experienced. " Not everyone succumbs. "I like dead animals," one man declared. "People say there's too much estrogen in tofu and that I'll get female characteristics, " fretted another."Tofu has the same physical properties as estrogen, but not the same chemical ones," Tsai replied. "Men come up to me all the time and say, 'I hear I'm going to get a squeaky voice and grow breasts.' If that's true, I'm in the wrong business." It looks like the

right business at the moment. The 12,000-square- foot beanery is almost five times the size of the old plant in San Jose, which means Hodo Soy will be able to sell to more retail outlets, such as Berkeley Bowl and Whole Foods, in addition to its current clients, Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco and Diablo Foods in Lafayette. Hodo Soy uses dry organic soybeans that are grown at a Midwest farmers' cooperative and are not genetically modified. They're rehydrated and turned into soy milk, which becomes tofu when coagulant is added. The cream on top of the warm soy milk is transformed into yuba, which Tsai describes as the "sashimi of soy.It's like the most tender pappardelle pasta you've ever had," said Hodo Soy co-founder Dean Ku as he gazed at rows of yuba drying in the factory. "We wanted to be here because freshness is very important," co-owner John Hotz said. "You can't be more centrally located than in West Oakland."

For more information on products, farmers' market locations and public tours, go to hodosoy.com. Inside: Etoile grabs 3 1/2 stars, plus Inside Scoop restaurant news. E3Food & Wine: Thanksgiving extravaganza - recipes, wines and how-to's. SundayPatricia Yollin is a former Chronicle staff writer. E-mail her at food (AT) sfchronicle (DOT) com.This article appeared on page E - 1 of the San Francisco ChronicleRead more: http://www.sfgate. com/cgi-bin/ article.cgi? f=/c/a/2009/ 11/12/DDEL1AE27E .DTL#ixzz0WfETpD QdYou're just jealous because the voices only talk to me!------------ --------- --------- ------To send an email to -unsubscr ibe

[Guest guest]

probably not

but, i'm sure there's some local tofu made down there behind the Orange Curtain. something up in Westminster maybe?

Patricia Nov 12, 2009 11:35 PM Re: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm in OC so I doubt if I'll get a chance to taste it.Patricia--- On Thu, 11/12/09, fraggle <EBbrewpunx (AT) earthlink (DOT) net> wrote:

fraggle <EBbrewpunx (AT) earthlink (DOT) net>Re: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu Date: Thursday, November 12, 2009, 1:43 PM

 

Hodo? oh, all the time. its one of my fave tofu's out there. we get it all the time at local farmers markets, either Berkeley or the Oakland Temescal one.

if i had one complaint, is that its toooo fresh. if you don't use it in two days or so, they tend to start growing friends quickly!

their tofu recipe dishes are pretty good as well. we generally buy two or three different ones and have em fer lunch after a morning at the farmers market...

Patricia Nov 12, 2009 4:35 PM Re: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have you tasted it?Patricia--- On Thu, 11/12/09, fraggle <EBbrewpunx@earthlin k.net> wrote:

fraggle <EBbrewpunx@earthlin k.net> New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu"vegan chat" <@gro ups.com>, "vegan-network" <vegan-network>Thursday, November 12, 2009, 8:41 AM

right down the street from my abode...actually, i was riding home the other day and went "holy crap, hodo soy is in my neighborhood! "http://www.sfgate. com/cgi-bin/ article.cgi? f=/c/a/2009/ 11/12/DDEL1AE27E .DTLNew factory to help unravel mystery that's tofuPatricia Yollin, Special to The ChronicleThursday, November 12, 2009------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ----------------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -----Too bland. Too rubbery. Too spongy. Too puzzling. When the subject is tofu, these are often the adjectives. This soy product gets bashed and trashed, and nobody knows it better than Minh Tsai, who has spent five years convincing people that it doesn't have to be that way. The 38-year-old Albany resident makes and sells tofu to customers at 10 Bay Area farmers' markets and to top restaurants such as Greens, Coi and the Slanted Door. In mid-October, his company, Hodo Soy Beanery, opened a state-of-the- art factory in Oakland. He plans to begin public tours and tastings next month. "We want to demystify and educate," said Tsai, sounding much like an evangelist. When he was growing up in Vietnam, his grandfather would take him to the local tofu shack in the morning, where everything was freshly made. In 1980, Tsai escaped with his family - on a boat that ran into pirates - and spent six months at a Malaysian refugee camp. At age 11, he arrived in the Bay Area. "I was surprised there wasn't quality tofu like what I was used to," Tsai said. Tsai became an investment banker and management consultant but never put aside his quest for decent tofu. Finally he decided to make it himself. One day in 2004, he brought his creations to the farmers' market in Palo Alto. They sold out in two hours. "People like eating this tofu because it actually tastes good," said Daniel Patterson, executive chef and owner of Coi in San Francisco. "That's not true of supermarket stuff." Patterson uses Hodo Soy tofu and yuba (tofu skin) at his restaurant, which has earned four stars from The Chronicle. One of his dishes combines medium and soft tofu with egg white, ginger and white soy sauce - all steamed at the bottom of a bowl - under mushroom dashi. Yuba, fresh seaweed and pickled turnip float on top. Charles Phan features Hodo Soy tofu at the Slanted Door in San Francisco, where it is stir-fried with lemongrass, shitakes and roasted chiles. Tsai calls Hodo Soy's 12 ready-to-eat dishes - such as spicy soy croquettes and braised tofu salad - "conversion products," designed to shatter tofu resistance. On a recent Saturday at the Berkeley Farmers' Market, Tsai greeted old customers and looked for new ones. As in the drug trade, the first fix is always free. "Hey, come on over," he called out, gesturing to a table full of samples. "You've never had tofu like this before." Tsai says his conversion rate is at least 50 percent. "Lordy, Lordy," said shopper Michael McCarthy, smitten by the tofu jerky. "It's hard to find a new flavor I haven't experienced. " Not everyone succumbs. "I like dead animals," one man declared. "People say there's too much estrogen in tofu and that I'll get female characteristics, " fretted another."Tofu has the same physical properties as estrogen, but not the same chemical ones," Tsai replied. "Men come up to me all the time and say, 'I hear I'm going to get a squeaky voice and grow breasts.' If that's true, I'm in the wrong business." It looks like the right business at the moment. The 12,000-square- foot beanery is almost five times the size of the old plant in San Jose, which means Hodo Soy will be able to sell to more retail outlets, such as Berkeley Bowl and Whole Foods, in addition to its current clients, Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco and Diablo Foods in Lafayette. Hodo Soy uses dry organic soybeans that are grown at a Midwest farmers' cooperative and are not genetically modified. They're rehydrated and turned into soy milk, which becomes tofu when coagulant is added. The cream on top of the warm soy milk is transformed into yuba, which Tsai describes as the "sashimi of soy.It's like the most tender pappardelle pasta you've ever had," said Hodo Soy co-founder Dean Ku as he gazed at rows of yuba drying in the factory. "We wanted to be here because freshness is very important," co-owner John Hotz said. "You can't be more centrally located than in West Oakland." For more information on products, farmers' market locations and public tours, go to hodosoy.com. Inside: Etoile grabs 3 1/2 stars, plus Inside Scoop restaurant news. E3Food & Wine: Thanksgiving extravaganza - recipes, wines and how-to's. SundayPatricia Yollin is a former Chronicle staff writer. E-mail her at food (AT) sfchronicle (DOT) com.This article appeared on page E - 1 of the San Francisco ChronicleRead more: http://www.sfgate. com/cgi-bin/ article.cgi? f=/c/a/2009/ 11/12/DDEL1AE27E .DTL#ixzz0WfETpD QdYou're just jealous because the voices only talk to me!------------ --------- --------- ------To send an email to -unsubscr ibe

[Guest guest]

Where I live is heavily populated by Koreans and I'll bet if I knew where to look, there would be someone who makes it.Patricia--- On Thu, 11/12/09, fraggle <EBbrewpunx wrote:fraggle <EBbrewpunxRe: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu Date: Thursday, November 12, 2009, 8:41 PM

 

probably not

but, i'm sure there's some local tofu made down there behind the Orange Curtain. something up in Westminster maybe?

Patricia Nov 12, 2009 11:35 PM Re: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu

 

 

 

 

 

I'm in OC so I doubt if I'll get a chance to taste it.Patricia--- On Thu, 11/12/09, fraggle <EBbrewpunx@earthlin k.net> wrote:

fraggle <EBbrewpunx@earthlin k.net>Re: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu@gro ups.comThursday, November 12, 2009, 1:43 PM

 

Hodo? oh, all the time. its one of my fave tofu's out there. we get it all the time at local farmers markets, either Berkeley or the Oakland Temescal one.

if i had one complaint, is that its toooo fresh. if you don't use it in two days or so, they tend to start growing friends quickly!

their tofu recipe dishes are pretty good as well. we generally buy two or three different ones and have em fer lunch after a morning at the farmers market...

Patricia Nov 12, 2009 4:35 PM @gro ups.com Re: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have you tasted it?Patricia--- On Thu, 11/12/09, fraggle <EBbrewpunx@earthlin k.net> wrote:

fraggle <EBbrewpunx@earthlin k.net> New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu"vegan chat" <@gro ups.com>, "vegan-network" <vegan-network>Thursday, November 12, 2009, 8:41 AM

right down the street from my abode...actually, i was riding home the other day and went "holy crap, hodo soy is in my neighborhood! "http://www.sfgate. com/cgi-bin/ article.cgi? f=/c/a/2009/ 11/12/DDEL1AE27E .DTLNew factory to help unravel mystery that's tofuPatricia Yollin, Special to The ChronicleThursday, November 12, 2009------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ----------------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -----Too bland. Too rubbery. Too spongy. Too puzzling. When the subject is tofu, these are often the adjectives. This soy product gets bashed and trashed, and nobody knows it better than Minh Tsai, who has spent five years convincing people that it

doesn't have to be that way. The 38-year-old Albany resident makes and sells tofu to customers at 10 Bay Area farmers' markets and to top restaurants such as Greens, Coi and the Slanted Door. In mid-October, his company, Hodo Soy Beanery, opened a state-of-the- art factory in Oakland. He plans to begin public tours and tastings next month. "We want to demystify and educate," said Tsai, sounding much like an evangelist. When he was growing up in Vietnam, his grandfather would take him to the local tofu shack in the morning, where everything was freshly made. In 1980, Tsai escaped with his family - on a boat that ran into pirates - and spent six months at a Malaysian refugee camp. At age 11, he arrived in the Bay Area. "I was surprised there wasn't quality tofu like what I was used to," Tsai said. Tsai became an investment banker and management consultant but never put aside his quest for decent tofu.

Finally he decided to make it himself. One day in 2004, he brought his creations to the farmers' market in Palo Alto. They sold out in two hours. "People like eating this tofu because it actually tastes good," said Daniel Patterson, executive chef and owner of Coi in San Francisco. "That's not true of supermarket stuff." Patterson uses Hodo Soy tofu and yuba (tofu skin) at his restaurant, which has earned four stars from The Chronicle. One of his dishes combines medium and soft tofu with egg white, ginger and white soy sauce - all steamed at the bottom of a bowl - under mushroom dashi. Yuba, fresh seaweed and pickled turnip float on top. Charles Phan features Hodo Soy tofu at the Slanted Door in San Francisco, where it is stir-fried with lemongrass, shitakes and roasted chiles. Tsai calls Hodo Soy's 12 ready-to-eat dishes - such as spicy soy croquettes and braised tofu salad - "conversion products," designed to shatter

tofu resistance. On a recent Saturday at the Berkeley Farmers' Market, Tsai greeted old customers and looked for new ones. As in the drug trade, the first fix is always free. "Hey, come on over," he called out, gesturing to a table full of samples. "You've never had tofu like this before." Tsai says his conversion rate is at least 50 percent. "Lordy, Lordy," said shopper Michael McCarthy, smitten by the tofu jerky. "It's hard to find a new flavor I haven't experienced. " Not everyone succumbs. "I like dead animals," one man declared. "People say there's too much estrogen in tofu and that I'll get female characteristics, " fretted another."Tofu has the same physical properties as estrogen, but not the same chemical ones," Tsai replied. "Men come up to me all the time and say, 'I hear I'm going to get a squeaky voice and grow breasts.' If that's true, I'm in the wrong business." It looks like the

right business at the moment. The 12,000-square- foot beanery is almost five times the size of the old plant in San Jose, which means Hodo Soy will be able to sell to more retail outlets, such as Berkeley Bowl and Whole Foods, in addition to its current clients, Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco and Diablo Foods in Lafayette. Hodo Soy uses dry organic soybeans that are grown at a Midwest farmers' cooperative and are not genetically modified. They're rehydrated and turned into soy milk, which becomes tofu when coagulant is added. The cream on top of the warm soy milk is transformed into yuba, which Tsai describes as the "sashimi of soy.It's like the most tender pappardelle pasta you've ever had," said Hodo Soy co-founder Dean Ku as he gazed at rows of yuba drying in the factory. "We wanted to be here because freshness is very important," co-owner John Hotz said. "You can't be more centrally located than in West Oakland."

For more information on products, farmers' market locations and public tours, go to hodosoy.com. Inside: Etoile grabs 3 1/2 stars, plus Inside Scoop restaurant news. E3Food & Wine: Thanksgiving extravaganza - recipes, wines and how-to's. SundayPatricia Yollin is a former Chronicle staff writer. E-mail her at food (AT) sfchronicle (DOT) com.This article appeared on page E - 1 of the San Francisco ChronicleRead more: http://www.sfgate. com/cgi-bin/ article.cgi? f=/c/a/2009/ 11/12/DDEL1AE27E .DTL#ixzz0WfETpD QdYou're just jealous because the voices only talk to me!------------ --------- --------- ------To send an email to -unsubscr ibe

[Guest guest]

Wildwood is made in Fullerton isn't it?

someone down in OC must make "artisan" or small batch tofu tho....

fraggle

Patricia Nov 13, 2009 4:55 AM Re: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where I live is heavily populated by Koreans and I'll bet if I knew where to look, there would be someone who makes it.Patricia--- On Thu, 11/12/09, fraggle <EBbrewpunx (AT) earthlink (DOT) net> wrote:

fraggle <EBbrewpunx (AT) earthlink (DOT) net>Re: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu Date: Thursday, November 12, 2009, 8:41 PM

 

probably not

but, i'm sure there's some local tofu made down there behind the Orange Curtain. something up in Westminster maybe?

Patricia Nov 12, 2009 11:35 PM Re: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm in OC so I doubt if I'll get a chance to taste it.Patricia--- On Thu, 11/12/09, fraggle <EBbrewpunx@earthlin k.net> wrote:

fraggle <EBbrewpunx@earthlin k.net>Re: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu@gro ups.comThursday, November 12, 2009, 1:43 PM

 

Hodo? oh, all the time. its one of my fave tofu's out there. we get it all the time at local farmers markets, either Berkeley or the Oakland Temescal one.

if i had one complaint, is that its toooo fresh. if you don't use it in two days or so, they tend to start growing friends quickly!

their tofu recipe dishes are pretty good as well. we generally buy two or three different ones and have em fer lunch after a morning at the farmers market...

Patricia Nov 12, 2009 4:35 PM @gro ups.com Re: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have you tasted it?Patricia--- On Thu, 11/12/09, fraggle <EBbrewpunx@earthlin k.net> wrote:

fraggle <EBbrewpunx@earthlin k.net> New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu"vegan chat" <@gro ups.com>, "vegan-network" <vegan-network>Thursday, November 12, 2009, 8:41 AM

right down the street from my abode...actually, i was riding home the other day and went "holy crap, hodo soy is in my neighborhood! "http://www.sfgate. com/cgi-bin/ article.cgi? f=/c/a/2009/ 11/12/DDEL1AE27E .DTLNew factory to help unravel mystery that's tofuPatricia Yollin, Special to The ChronicleThursday, November 12, 2009------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ----------------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -----Too bland. Too rubbery. Too spongy. Too puzzling. When the subject is tofu, these are often the adjectives. This soy product gets bashed and trashed, and nobody knows it better than Minh Tsai, who has spent five years convincing people that it doesn't have to be that way. The 38-year-old Albany resident makes and sells tofu to customers at 10 Bay Area farmers' markets and to top restaurants such as Greens, Coi and the Slanted Door. In mid-October, his company, Hodo Soy Beanery, opened a state-of-the- art factory in Oakland. He plans to begin public tours and tastings next month. "We want to demystify and educate," said Tsai, sounding much like an evangelist. When he was growing up in Vietnam, his grandfather would take him to the local tofu shack in the morning, where everything was freshly made. In 1980, Tsai escaped with his family - on a boat that ran into pirates - and spent six months at a Malaysian refugee camp. At age 11, he arrived in the Bay Area. "I was surprised there wasn't quality tofu like what I was used to," Tsai said. Tsai became an investment banker and management consultant but never put aside his quest for decent tofu. Finally he decided to make it himself. One day in 2004, he brought his creations to the farmers' market in Palo Alto. They sold out in two hours. "People like eating this tofu because it actually tastes good," said Daniel Patterson, executive chef and owner of Coi in San Francisco. "That's not true of supermarket stuff." Patterson uses Hodo Soy tofu and yuba (tofu skin) at his restaurant, which has earned four stars from The Chronicle. One of his dishes combines medium and soft tofu with egg white, ginger and white soy sauce - all steamed at the bottom of a bowl - under mushroom dashi. Yuba, fresh seaweed and pickled turnip float on top. Charles Phan features Hodo Soy tofu at the Slanted Door in San Francisco, where it is stir-fried with lemongrass, shitakes and roasted chiles. Tsai calls Hodo Soy's 12 ready-to-eat dishes - such as spicy soy croquettes and braised tofu salad - "conversion products," designed to shatter tofu resistance. On a recent Saturday at the Berkeley Farmers' Market, Tsai greeted old customers and looked for new ones. As in the drug trade, the first fix is always free. "Hey, come on over," he called out, gesturing to a table full of samples. "You've never had tofu like this before." Tsai says his conversion rate is at least 50 percent. "Lordy, Lordy," said shopper Michael McCarthy, smitten by the tofu jerky. "It's hard to find a new flavor I haven't experienced. " Not everyone succumbs. "I like dead animals," one man declared. "People say there's too much estrogen in tofu and that I'll get female characteristics, " fretted another."Tofu has the same physical properties as estrogen, but not the same chemical ones," Tsai replied. "Men come up to me all the time and say, 'I hear I'm going to get a squeaky voice and grow breasts.' If that's true, I'm in the wrong business." It looks like the right business at the moment. The 12,000-square- foot beanery is almost five times the size of the old plant in San Jose, which means Hodo Soy will be able to sell to more retail outlets, such as Berkeley Bowl and Whole Foods, in addition to its current clients, Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco and Diablo Foods in Lafayette. Hodo Soy uses dry organic soybeans that are grown at a Midwest farmers' cooperative and are not genetically modified. They're rehydrated and turned into soy milk, which becomes tofu when coagulant is added. The cream on top of the warm soy milk is transformed into yuba, which Tsai describes as the "sashimi of soy.It's like the most tender pappardelle pasta you've ever had," said Hodo Soy co-founder Dean Ku as he gazed at rows of yuba drying in the factory. "We wanted to be here because freshness is very important," co-owner John Hotz said. "You can't be more centrally located than in West Oakland." For more information on products, farmers' market locations and public tours, go to hodosoy.com. Inside: Etoile grabs 3 1/2 stars, plus Inside Scoop restaurant news. E3Food & Wine: Thanksgiving extravaganza - recipes, wines and how-to's. SundayPatricia Yollin is a former Chronicle staff writer. E-mail her at food (AT) sfchronicle (DOT) com.This article appeared on page E - 1 of the San Francisco ChronicleRead more: http://www.sfgate. com/cgi-bin/ article.cgi? f=/c/a/2009/ 11/12/DDEL1AE27E .DTL#ixzz0WfETpD QdYou're just jealous because the voices only talk to me!------------ --------- --------- ------To send an email to -unsubscr ibe

[Guest guest]

I have seen Wildwood at Fresh and Easy' is it really good? It's expensive, which is why I haven't tried it. I don't want to waste money on something I don't like.Patricia--- On Fri, 11/13/09, fraggle <EBbrewpunx wrote:fraggle <EBbrewpunxRe: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu Date: Friday, November 13, 2009, 7:54 AM

 

Wildwood is made in Fullerton isn't it?

someone down in OC must make "artisan" or small batch tofu tho....

fraggle

Patricia Nov 13, 2009 4:55 AM Re: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu

 

 

 

 

 

Where I live is heavily populated by Koreans and I'll bet if I knew where to look, there would be someone who makes it.Patricia--- On Thu, 11/12/09, fraggle <EBbrewpunx@earthlin k.net> wrote:

fraggle <EBbrewpunx@earthlin k.net>Re: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu@gro ups.comThursday, November 12, 2009, 8:41 PM

 

probably not

but, i'm sure there's some local tofu made down there behind the Orange Curtain. something up in Westminster maybe?

Patricia Nov 12, 2009 11:35 PM @gro ups.com Re: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm in OC so I doubt if I'll get a chance to taste it.Patricia--- On Thu, 11/12/09, fraggle <EBbrewpunx@earthlin k.net> wrote:

fraggle <EBbrewpunx@earthlin k.net>Re: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu@gro ups.comThursday, November 12, 2009, 1:43 PM

 

Hodo? oh, all the time. its one of my fave tofu's out there. we get it all the time at local farmers markets, either Berkeley or the Oakland Temescal one.

if i had one complaint, is that its toooo fresh. if you don't use it in two days or so, they tend to start growing friends quickly!

their tofu recipe dishes are pretty good as well. we generally buy two or three different ones and have em fer lunch after a morning at the farmers market...

Patricia Nov 12, 2009 4:35 PM @gro ups.com Re: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have you tasted it?Patricia--- On Thu, 11/12/09, fraggle <EBbrewpunx@earthlin k.net> wrote:

fraggle <EBbrewpunx@earthlin k.net> New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu"vegan chat" <@gro ups.com>, "vegan-network" <vegan-network>Thursday, November 12, 2009, 8:41 AM

right down the street from my abode...actually, i was riding home the other day and went "holy crap, hodo soy is in my neighborhood! "http://www.sfgate. com/cgi-bin/ article.cgi? f=/c/a/2009/ 11/12/DDEL1AE27E .DTLNew factory to help unravel mystery that's tofuPatricia Yollin, Special to The ChronicleThursday, November 12, 2009------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ----------------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -----Too bland. Too rubbery. Too spongy. Too puzzling. When the subject is tofu, these are often the adjectives. This soy product gets bashed and trashed, and nobody knows it better than Minh Tsai, who has spent five years convincing people that it

doesn't have to be that way. The 38-year-old Albany resident makes and sells tofu to customers at 10 Bay Area farmers' markets and to top restaurants such as Greens, Coi and the Slanted Door. In mid-October, his company, Hodo Soy Beanery, opened a state-of-the- art factory in Oakland. He plans to begin public tours and tastings next month. "We want to demystify and educate," said Tsai, sounding much like an evangelist. When he was growing up in Vietnam, his grandfather would take him to the local tofu shack in the morning, where everything was freshly made. In 1980, Tsai escaped with his family - on a boat that ran into pirates - and spent six months at a Malaysian refugee camp. At age 11, he arrived in the Bay Area. "I was surprised there wasn't quality tofu like what I was used to," Tsai said. Tsai became an investment banker and management consultant but never put aside his quest for decent tofu.

Finally he decided to make it himself. One day in 2004, he brought his creations to the farmers' market in Palo Alto. They sold out in two hours. "People like eating this tofu because it actually tastes good," said Daniel Patterson, executive chef and owner of Coi in San Francisco. "That's not true of supermarket stuff." Patterson uses Hodo Soy tofu and yuba (tofu skin) at his restaurant, which has earned four stars from The Chronicle. One of his dishes combines medium and soft tofu with egg white, ginger and white soy sauce - all steamed at the bottom of a bowl - under mushroom dashi. Yuba, fresh seaweed and pickled turnip float on top. Charles Phan features Hodo Soy tofu at the Slanted Door in San Francisco, where it is stir-fried with lemongrass, shitakes and roasted chiles. Tsai calls Hodo Soy's 12 ready-to-eat dishes - such as spicy soy croquettes and braised tofu salad - "conversion products," designed to shatter

tofu resistance. On a recent Saturday at the Berkeley Farmers' Market, Tsai greeted old customers and looked for new ones. As in the drug trade, the first fix is always free. "Hey, come on over," he called out, gesturing to a table full of samples. "You've never had tofu like this before." Tsai says his conversion rate is at least 50 percent. "Lordy, Lordy," said shopper Michael McCarthy, smitten by the tofu jerky. "It's hard to find a new flavor I haven't experienced. " Not everyone succumbs. "I like dead animals," one man declared. "People say there's too much estrogen in tofu and that I'll get female characteristics, " fretted another."Tofu has the same physical properties as estrogen, but not the same chemical ones," Tsai replied. "Men come up to me all the time and say, 'I hear I'm going to get a squeaky voice and grow breasts.' If that's true, I'm in the wrong business." It looks like the

right business at the moment. The 12,000-square- foot beanery is almost five times the size of the old plant in San Jose, which means Hodo Soy will be able to sell to more retail outlets, such as Berkeley Bowl and Whole Foods, in addition to its current clients, Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco and Diablo Foods in Lafayette. Hodo Soy uses dry organic soybeans that are grown at a Midwest farmers' cooperative and are not genetically modified. They're rehydrated and turned into soy milk, which becomes tofu when coagulant is added. The cream on top of the warm soy milk is transformed into yuba, which Tsai describes as the "sashimi of soy.It's like the most tender pappardelle pasta you've ever had," said Hodo Soy co-founder Dean Ku as he gazed at rows of yuba drying in the factory. "We wanted to be here because freshness is very important," co-owner John Hotz said. "You can't be more centrally located than in West Oakland."

For more information on products, farmers' market locations and public tours, go to hodosoy.com. Inside: Etoile grabs 3 1/2 stars, plus Inside Scoop restaurant news. E3Food & Wine: Thanksgiving extravaganza - recipes, wines and how-to's. SundayPatricia Yollin is a former Chronicle staff writer. E-mail her at food (AT) sfchronicle (DOT) com.This article appeared on page E - 1 of the San Francisco ChronicleRead more: http://www.sfgate. com/cgi-bin/ article.cgi? f=/c/a/2009/ 11/12/DDEL1AE27E .DTL#ixzz0WfETpD QdYou're just jealous because the voices only talk to me!------------ --------- --------- ------To send an email to -unsubscr ibe

[Guest guest]

I like it. We use it when we don't have Hodo Soy Tofu. It's easy to find as well.

but, i eat tofu "plain" and "raw", so not sure how great of a judge i am!

in descending order, we use:

Hodo Soy

Wildwood

Soy Deli

all are organic, tho have no idea really where they get their soybeans from...........but all are made in California...

 

Patricia Nov 13, 2009 5:13 PM Re: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have seen Wildwood at Fresh and Easy' is it really good? It's expensive, which is why I haven't tried it. I don't want to waste money on something I don't like.Patricia--- On Fri, 11/13/09, fraggle <EBbrewpunx (AT) earthlink (DOT) net> wrote:

fraggle <EBbrewpunx (AT) earthlink (DOT) net>Re: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu Date: Friday, November 13, 2009, 7:54 AM

 

Wildwood is made in Fullerton isn't it?

someone down in OC must make "artisan" or small batch tofu tho....

fraggle

Patricia Nov 13, 2009 4:55 AM Re: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where I live is heavily populated by Koreans and I'll bet if I knew where to look, there would be someone who makes it.Patricia--- On Thu, 11/12/09, fraggle <EBbrewpunx@earthlin k.net> wrote:

fraggle <EBbrewpunx@earthlin k.net>Re: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu@gro ups.comThursday, November 12, 2009, 8:41 PM

 

probably not

but, i'm sure there's some local tofu made down there behind the Orange Curtain. something up in Westminster maybe?

Patricia Nov 12, 2009 11:35 PM @gro ups.com Re: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm in OC so I doubt if I'll get a chance to taste it.Patricia--- On Thu, 11/12/09, fraggle <EBbrewpunx@earthlin k.net> wrote:

fraggle <EBbrewpunx@earthlin k.net>Re: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu@gro ups.comThursday, November 12, 2009, 1:43 PM

 

Hodo? oh, all the time. its one of my fave tofu's out there. we get it all the time at local farmers markets, either Berkeley or the Oakland Temescal one.

if i had one complaint, is that its toooo fresh. if you don't use it in two days or so, they tend to start growing friends quickly!

their tofu recipe dishes are pretty good as well. we generally buy two or three different ones and have em fer lunch after a morning at the farmers market...

Patricia Nov 12, 2009 4:35 PM @gro ups.com Re: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have you tasted it?Patricia--- On Thu, 11/12/09, fraggle <EBbrewpunx@earthlin k.net> wrote:

fraggle <EBbrewpunx@earthlin k.net> New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu"vegan chat" <@gro ups.com>, "vegan-network" <vegan-network>Thursday, November 12, 2009, 8:41 AM

right down the street from my abode...actually, i was riding home the other day and went "holy crap, hodo soy is in my neighborhood! "http://www.sfgate. com/cgi-bin/ article.cgi? f=/c/a/2009/ 11/12/DDEL1AE27E .DTLNew factory to help unravel mystery that's tofuPatricia Yollin, Special to The ChronicleThursday, November 12, 2009------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ----------------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -----Too bland. Too rubbery. Too spongy. Too puzzling. When the subject is tofu, these are often the adjectives. This soy product gets bashed and trashed, and nobody knows it better than Minh Tsai, who has spent five years convincing people that it doesn't have to be that way. The 38-year-old Albany resident makes and sells tofu to customers at 10 Bay Area farmers' markets and to top restaurants such as Greens, Coi and the Slanted Door. In mid-October, his company, Hodo Soy Beanery, opened a state-of-the- art factory in Oakland. He plans to begin public tours and tastings next month. "We want to demystify and educate," said Tsai, sounding much like an evangelist. When he was growing up in Vietnam, his grandfather would take him to the local tofu shack in the morning, where everything was freshly made. In 1980, Tsai escaped with his family - on a boat that ran into pirates - and spent six months at a Malaysian refugee camp. At age 11, he arrived in the Bay Area. "I was surprised there wasn't quality tofu like what I was used to," Tsai said. Tsai became an investment banker and management consultant but never put aside his quest for decent tofu. Finally he decided to make it himself. One day in 2004, he brought his creations to the farmers' market in Palo Alto. They sold out in two hours. "People like eating this tofu because it actually tastes good," said Daniel Patterson, executive chef and owner of Coi in San Francisco. "That's not true of supermarket stuff." Patterson uses Hodo Soy tofu and yuba (tofu skin) at his restaurant, which has earned four stars from The Chronicle. One of his dishes combines medium and soft tofu with egg white, ginger and white soy sauce - all steamed at the bottom of a bowl - under mushroom dashi. Yuba, fresh seaweed and pickled turnip float on top. Charles Phan features Hodo Soy tofu at the Slanted Door in San Francisco, where it is stir-fried with lemongrass, shitakes and roasted chiles. Tsai calls Hodo Soy's 12 ready-to-eat dishes - such as spicy soy croquettes and braised tofu salad - "conversion products," designed to shatter tofu resistance. On a recent Saturday at the Berkeley Farmers' Market, Tsai greeted old customers and looked for new ones. As in the drug trade, the first fix is always free. "Hey, come on over," he called out, gesturing to a table full of samples. "You've never had tofu like this before." Tsai says his conversion rate is at least 50 percent. "Lordy, Lordy," said shopper Michael McCarthy, smitten by the tofu jerky. "It's hard to find a new flavor I haven't experienced. " Not everyone succumbs. "I like dead animals," one man declared. "People say there's too much estrogen in tofu and that I'll get female characteristics, " fretted another."Tofu has the same physical properties as estrogen, but not the same chemical ones," Tsai replied. "Men come up to me all the time and say, 'I hear I'm going to get a squeaky voice and grow breasts.' If that's true, I'm in the wrong business." It looks like the right business at the moment. The 12,000-square- foot beanery is almost five times the size of the old plant in San Jose, which means Hodo Soy will be able to sell to more retail outlets, such as Berkeley Bowl and Whole Foods, in addition to its current clients, Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco and Diablo Foods in Lafayette. Hodo Soy uses dry organic soybeans that are grown at a Midwest farmers' cooperative and are not genetically modified. They're rehydrated and turned into soy milk, which becomes tofu when coagulant is added. The cream on top of the warm soy milk is transformed into yuba, which Tsai describes as the "sashimi of soy.It's like the most tender pappardelle pasta you've ever had," said Hodo Soy co-founder Dean Ku as he gazed at rows of yuba drying in the factory. "We wanted to be here because freshness is very important," co-owner John Hotz said. "You can't be more centrally located than in West Oakland." For more information on products, farmers' market locations and public tours, go to hodosoy.com. Inside: Etoile grabs 3 1/2 stars, plus Inside Scoop restaurant news. E3Food & Wine: Thanksgiving extravaganza - recipes, wines and how-to's. SundayPatricia Yollin is a former Chronicle staff writer. E-mail her at food (AT) sfchronicle (DOT) com.This article appeared on page E - 1 of the San Francisco ChronicleRead more: http://www.sfgate. com/cgi-bin/ article.cgi? f=/c/a/2009/ 11/12/DDEL1AE27E .DTL#ixzz0WfETpD QdYou're just jealous because the voices only talk to me!------------ --------- --------- ------To send an email to -unsubscr ibe

[Guest guest]

sorry, i don't do Safeway.......

finicky picky fraggle

Patricia Nov 14, 2009 2:22 PM Re: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I just recently discovered O Organics from Lucerne Foods and it's tasteless and odorless, which is how I like it. It's made in CA also and has a rather handmade look about it. I'm going to ask my Korean dentist if he knows anyone in my area that produces fresh tofu; I'd like to try it and compare it to what I use now.Patricia--- On Sat, 11/14/09, fraggle <EBbrewpunx (AT) earthlink (DOT) net> wrote:

fraggle <EBbrewpunx (AT) earthlink (DOT) net>Re: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu Date: Saturday, November 14, 2009, 9:12 AM

 

I like it. We use it when we don't have Hodo Soy Tofu. It's easy to find as well.

but, i eat tofu "plain" and "raw", so not sure how great of a judge i am!

in descending order, we use:

Hodo Soy

Wildwood

Soy Deli

all are organic, tho have no idea really where they get their soybeans from...........but all are made in California...

 

Patricia Nov 13, 2009 5:13 PM Re: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have seen Wildwood at Fresh and Easy' is it really good? It's expensive, which is why I haven't tried it. I don't want to waste money on something I don't like.Patricia--- On Fri, 11/13/09, fraggle <EBbrewpunx@earthlin k.net> wrote:

fraggle <EBbrewpunx@earthlin k.net>Re: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu@gro ups.comFriday, November 13, 2009, 7:54 AM

 

Wildwood is made in Fullerton isn't it?

someone down in OC must make "artisan" or small batch tofu tho....

fraggle

Patricia Nov 13, 2009 4:55 AM @gro ups.com Re: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where I live is heavily populated by Koreans and I'll bet if I knew where to look, there would be someone who makes it.Patricia--- On Thu, 11/12/09, fraggle <EBbrewpunx@earthlin k.net> wrote:

fraggle <EBbrewpunx@earthlin k.net>Re: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu@gro ups.comThursday, November 12, 2009, 8:41 PM

 

probably not

but, i'm sure there's some local tofu made down there behind the Orange Curtain. something up in Westminster maybe?

Patricia Nov 12, 2009 11:35 PM @gro ups.com Re: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm in OC so I doubt if I'll get a chance to taste it.Patricia--- On Thu, 11/12/09, fraggle <EBbrewpunx@earthlin k.net> wrote:

fraggle <EBbrewpunx@earthlin k.net>Re: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu@gro ups.comThursday, November 12, 2009, 1:43 PM

 

Hodo? oh, all the time. its one of my fave tofu's out there. we get it all the time at local farmers markets, either Berkeley or the Oakland Temescal one.

if i had one complaint, is that its toooo fresh. if you don't use it in two days or so, they tend to start growing friends quickly!

their tofu recipe dishes are pretty good as well. we generally buy two or three different ones and have em fer lunch after a morning at the farmers market...

Patricia Nov 12, 2009 4:35 PM @gro ups.com Re: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have you tasted it?Patricia--- On Thu, 11/12/09, fraggle <EBbrewpunx@earthlin k.net> wrote:

fraggle <EBbrewpunx@earthlin k.net> New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu"vegan chat" <@gro ups.com>, "vegan-network" <vegan-network>Thursday, November 12, 2009, 8:41 AM

right down the street from my abode...actually, i was riding home the other day and went "holy crap, hodo soy is in my neighborhood! "http://www.sfgate. com/cgi-bin/ article.cgi? f=/c/a/2009/ 11/12/DDEL1AE27E .DTLNew factory to help unravel mystery that's tofuPatricia Yollin, Special to The ChronicleThursday, November 12, 2009------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ----------------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -----Too bland. Too rubbery. Too spongy. Too puzzling. When the subject is tofu, these are often the adjectives. This soy product gets bashed and trashed, and nobody knows it better than Minh Tsai, who has spent five years convincing people that it doesn't have to be that way. The 38-year-old Albany resident makes and sells tofu to customers at 10 Bay Area farmers' markets and to top restaurants such as Greens, Coi and the Slanted Door. In mid-October, his company, Hodo Soy Beanery, opened a state-of-the- art factory in Oakland. He plans to begin public tours and tastings next month. "We want to demystify and educate," said Tsai, sounding much like an evangelist. When he was growing up in Vietnam, his grandfather would take him to the local tofu shack in the morning, where everything was freshly made. In 1980, Tsai escaped with his family - on a boat that ran into pirates - and spent six months at a Malaysian refugee camp. At age 11, he arrived in the Bay Area. "I was surprised there wasn't quality tofu like what I was used to," Tsai said. Tsai became an investment banker and management consultant but never put aside his quest for decent tofu. Finally he decided to make it himself. One day in 2004, he brought his creations to the farmers' market in Palo Alto. They sold out in two hours. "People like eating this tofu because it actually tastes good," said Daniel Patterson, executive chef and owner of Coi in San Francisco. "That's not true of supermarket stuff." Patterson uses Hodo Soy tofu and yuba (tofu skin) at his restaurant, which has earned four stars from The Chronicle. One of his dishes combines medium and soft tofu with egg white, ginger and white soy sauce - all steamed at the bottom of a bowl - under mushroom dashi. Yuba, fresh seaweed and pickled turnip float on top. Charles Phan features Hodo Soy tofu at the Slanted Door in San Francisco, where it is stir-fried with lemongrass, shitakes and roasted chiles. Tsai calls Hodo Soy's 12 ready-to-eat dishes - such as spicy soy croquettes and braised tofu salad - "conversion products," designed to shatter tofu resistance. On a recent Saturday at the Berkeley Farmers' Market, Tsai greeted old customers and looked for new ones. As in the drug trade, the first fix is always free. "Hey, come on over," he called out, gesturing to a table full of samples. "You've never had tofu like this before." Tsai says his conversion rate is at least 50 percent. "Lordy, Lordy," said shopper Michael McCarthy, smitten by the tofu jerky. "It's hard to find a new flavor I haven't experienced. " Not everyone succumbs. "I like dead animals," one man declared. "People say there's too much estrogen in tofu and that I'll get female characteristics, " fretted another."Tofu has the same physical properties as estrogen, but not the same chemical ones," Tsai replied. "Men come up to me all the time and say, 'I hear I'm going to get a squeaky voice and grow breasts.' If that's true, I'm in the wrong business." It looks like the right business at the moment. The 12,000-square- foot beanery is almost five times the size of the old plant in San Jose, which means Hodo Soy will be able to sell to more retail outlets, such as Berkeley Bowl and Whole Foods, in addition to its current clients, Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco and Diablo Foods in Lafayette. Hodo Soy uses dry organic soybeans that are grown at a Midwest farmers' cooperative and are not genetically modified. They're rehydrated and turned into soy milk, which becomes tofu when coagulant is added. The cream on top of the warm soy milk is transformed into yuba, which Tsai describes as the "sashimi of soy.It's like the most tender pappardelle pasta you've ever had," said Hodo Soy co-founder Dean Ku as he gazed at rows of yuba drying in the factory. "We wanted to be here because freshness is very important," co-owner John Hotz said. "You can't be more centrally located than in West Oakland." For more information on products, farmers' market locations and public tours, go to hodosoy.com. Inside: Etoile grabs 3 1/2 stars, plus Inside Scoop restaurant news. E3Food & Wine: Thanksgiving extravaganza - recipes, wines and how-to's. SundayPatricia Yollin is a former Chronicle staff writer. E-mail her at food (AT) sfchronicle (DOT) com.This article appeared on page E - 1 of the San Francisco ChronicleRead more: http://www.sfgate. com/cgi-bin/ article.cgi? f=/c/a/2009/ 11/12/DDEL1AE27E .DTL#ixzz0WfETpD QdYou're just jealous because the voices only talk to me!------------ --------- --------- ------To send an email to -unsubscr ibe

[Guest guest]

you know, i really nate that once again earthlink is not letting me cut and edit extra long e-mails

but..anyways

my first thought for southland tofu was for you to find out who the tofu maker was, and see if a local market could carry it.

but a quick search only brought up tofu restaurants in San Gabriel

but, then i found this

http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-tofu24-2009jun24,0,6044238.storyyou'll have to go to link to read the full article, as wanted to save the folks here a long dang e-mail, especially if they are reading it on digest

The joy of soy: fresh tofu in Southern California

Southern California is full of great tofu makers, and we've searched out the best.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Kirk McKoy, Los Angeles Times)

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Cecilia Hae-Jin Lee June 24, 2009

 

 

 

 

Tofu gets a bum rap. Some people dismiss it as health food for vegans and hippies. Others think that it's just a jiggly white brick with no flavor. That may be because people think of tofu only as the characterless cubes sitting cold and forlorn in the back corner of salad bar bins or those hard, joyless bricks that vegetarians bring to backyard barbecues.It's really a shame because tofu can be a beautiful thing, especially when it's freshly made -- soy beans dried, soaked and boiled in distilled water, lovingly ground to a perfect pulp, boiled, coagulated with sea salt, strained, formed and wrapped still soft and warm, fresh from its milky bath.Luckily for us, a handful of people in Southern California are obsessed with making tofu the old-fashioned way. They wake up at dawn to get the soybean grinding started. They offer their gorgeous, creamy white wares fresh daily, so that you too can experience the joys of soybean heaven.

Patricia Nov 17, 2009 2:03 AM Re: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I asked my dentist about the tofu and he said he didn't know anyone in N. OC who makes it, but there is someone in San Gabriel who does and it's really good, but not good enough to drive that far for it.Patricia--- On Sun, 11/15/09, fraggle <EBbrewpunx (AT) earthlink (DOT) net> wrote:

fraggle <EBbrewpunx (AT) earthlink (DOT) net>Re: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu Date: Sunday, November 15, 2009, 8:10 AM

 

sorry, i don't do Safeway.......

finicky picky fraggle

Patricia Nov 14, 2009 2:22 PM Re: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu

 

 

 

 

 

 

I just recently discovered O Organics from Lucerne Foods and it's tasteless and odorless, which is how I like it. It's made in CA also and has a rather handmade look about it. I'm going to ask my Korean dentist if he knows anyone in my area that produces fresh tofu; I'd like to try it and compare it to what I use now.Patricia--- On Sat, 11/14/09, fraggle <EBbrewpunx@earthlin k.net> wrote:

fraggle <EBbrewpunx@earthlin k.net>Re: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu@gro ups.comSaturday, November 14, 2009, 9:12 AM

 

I like it. We use it when we don't have Hodo Soy Tofu. It's easy to find as well.

but, i eat tofu "plain" and "raw", so not sure how great of a judge i am!

in descending order, we use:

Hodo Soy

Wildwood

Soy Deli

all are organic, tho have no idea really where they get their soybeans from........ ...but all are made in California.. .

 

Patricia Nov 13, 2009 5:13 PM @gro ups.com Re: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have seen Wildwood at Fresh and Easy' is it really good? It's expensive, which is why I haven't tried it. I don't want to waste money on something I don't like.Patricia--- On Fri, 11/13/09, fraggle <EBbrewpunx@earthlin k.net> wrote:

fraggle <EBbrewpunx@earthlin k.net>Re: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu@gro ups.comFriday, November 13, 2009, 7:54 AM

 

Wildwood is made in Fullerton isn't it?

someone down in OC must make "artisan" or small batch tofu tho....

fraggle

Patricia Nov 13, 2009 4:55 AM @gro ups.com Re: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where I live is heavily populated by Koreans and I'll bet if I knew where to look, there would be someone who makes it.Patricia--- On Thu, 11/12/09, fraggle <EBbrewpunx@earthlin k.net> wrote:

fraggle <EBbrewpunx@earthlin k.net>Re: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu@gro ups.comThursday, November 12, 2009, 8:41 PM

 

probably not

but, i'm sure there's some local tofu made down there behind the Orange Curtain. something up in Westminster maybe?

Patricia Nov 12, 2009 11:35 PM @gro ups.com Re: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm in OC so I doubt if I'll get a chance to taste it.Patricia--- On Thu, 11/12/09, fraggle <EBbrewpunx@earthlin k.net> wrote:

fraggle <EBbrewpunx@earthlin k.net>Re: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu@gro ups.comThursday, November 12, 2009, 1:43 PM

 

Hodo? oh, all the time. its one of my fave tofu's out there. we get it all the time at local farmers markets, either Berkeley or the Oakland Temescal one.

if i had one complaint, is that its toooo fresh. if you don't use it in two days or so, they tend to start growing friends quickly!

their tofu recipe dishes are pretty good as well. we generally buy two or three different ones and have em fer lunch after a morning at the farmers market...

Patricia Nov 12, 2009 4:35 PM @gro ups.com Re: New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have you tasted it?Patricia--- On Thu, 11/12/09, fraggle <EBbrewpunx@earthlin k.net> wrote:

fraggle <EBbrewpunx@earthlin k.net> New factory to help unravel mystery that's tofu"vegan chat" <@gro ups.com>, "vegan-network" <vegan-network>Thursday, November 12, 2009, 8:41 AM

right down the street from my abode...actually, i was riding home the other day and went "holy crap, hodo soy is in my neighborhood! "http://www.sfgate. com/cgi-bin/ article.cgi? f=/c/a/2009/ 11/12/DDEL1AE27E .DTLNew factory to help unravel mystery that's tofuPatricia Yollin, Special to The ChronicleThursday, November 12, 2009------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ----------------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -----Too bland. Too rubbery. Too spongy. Too puzzling. When the subject is tofu, these are often the adjectives. This soy product gets bashed and trashed, and nobody knows it better than Minh Tsai, who has spent five years convincing people that it doesn't have to be that way. The 38-year-old Albany resident makes and sells tofu to customers at 10 Bay Area farmers' markets and to top restaurants such as Greens, Coi and the Slanted Door. In mid-October, his company, Hodo Soy Beanery, opened a state-of-the- art factory in Oakland. He plans to begin public tours and tastings next month. "We want to demystify and educate," said Tsai, sounding much like an evangelist. When he was growing up in Vietnam, his grandfather would take him to the local tofu shack in the morning, where everything was freshly made. In 1980, Tsai escaped with his family - on a boat that ran into pirates - and spent six months at a Malaysian refugee camp. At age 11, he arrived in the Bay Area. "I was surprised there wasn't quality tofu like what I was used to," Tsai said. Tsai became an investment banker and management consultant but never put aside his quest for decent tofu. Finally he decided to make it himself. One day in 2004, he brought his creations to the farmers' market in Palo Alto. They sold out in two hours. "People like eating this tofu because it actually tastes good," said Daniel Patterson, executive chef and owner of Coi in San Francisco. "That's not true of supermarket stuff." Patterson uses Hodo Soy tofu and yuba (tofu skin) at his restaurant, which has earned four stars from The Chronicle. One of his dishes combines medium and soft tofu with egg white, ginger and white soy sauce - all steamed at the bottom of a bowl - under mushroom dashi. Yuba, fresh seaweed and pickled turnip float on top. Charles Phan features Hodo Soy tofu at the Slanted Door in San Francisco, where it is stir-fried with lemongrass, shitakes and roasted chiles. Tsai calls Hodo Soy's 12 ready-to-eat dishes - such as spicy soy croquettes and braised tofu salad - "conversion products," designed to shatter tofu resistance. On a recent Saturday at the Berkeley Farmers' Market, Tsai greeted old customers and looked for new ones. As in the drug trade, the first fix is always free. "Hey, come on over," he called out, gesturing to a table full of samples. "You've never had tofu like this before." Tsai says his conversion rate is at least 50 percent. "Lordy, Lordy," said shopper Michael McCarthy, smitten by the tofu jerky. "It's hard to find a new flavor I haven't experienced. " Not everyone succumbs. "I like dead animals," one man declared. "People say there's too much estrogen in tofu and that I'll get female characteristics, " fretted another."Tofu has the same physical properties as estrogen, but not the same chemical ones," Tsai replied. "Men come up to me all the time and say, 'I hear I'm going to get a squeaky voice and grow breasts.' If that's true, I'm in the wrong business." It looks like the right business at the moment. The 12,000-square- foot beanery is almost five times the size of the old plant in San Jose, which means Hodo Soy will be able to sell to more retail outlets, such as Berkeley Bowl and Whole Foods, in addition to its current clients, Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco and Diablo Foods in Lafayette. Hodo Soy uses dry organic soybeans that are grown at a Midwest farmers' cooperative and are not genetically modified. They're rehydrated and turned into soy milk, which becomes tofu when coagulant is added. The cream on top of the warm soy milk is transformed into yuba, which Tsai describes as the "sashimi of soy.It's like the most tender pappardelle pasta you've ever had," said Hodo Soy co-founder Dean Ku as he gazed at rows of yuba drying in the factory. "We wanted to be here because freshness is very important," co-owner John Hotz said. "You can't be more centrally located than in West Oakland." For more information on products, farmers' market locations and public tours, go to hodosoy.com. Inside: Etoile grabs 3 1/2 stars, plus Inside Scoop restaurant news. E3Food & Wine: Thanksgiving extravaganza - recipes, wines and how-to's. SundayPatricia Yollin is a former Chronicle staff writer. E-mail her at food (AT) sfchronicle (DOT) com.This article appeared on page E - 1 of the San Francisco ChronicleRead more: http://www.sfgate. com/cgi-bin/ article.cgi? f=/c/a/2009/ 11/12/DDEL1AE27E .DTL#ixzz0WfETpD QdYou're just jealous because the voices only talk to me!------------ --------- --------- ------To send an email to -unsubscr ibe