In this week's episode of Sake Unplugged, Cindy and Giulia are welcoming their very first guest to the show, someone who not just influenced the two of them, but also happens to be a huge part of why this sake podcast came to life in the first place!
The woman we are talking about is of course Simone Maynard, also known as the Sake Mistress! Simone is a Melbourne-based sake ambassador, who, like many others had to completely rethink her game when the pandemic hit. However, this has not stopped her, in fact, it seems like she is even more relentlessly promoting sake, its culture, and above all its people. She is doing this through her project "the Taste with the Toji" and what started out as a small gathering, has since drawn a huge amount of people joining her online session every Monday night, meeting breweries, but also artisans and people working in peripheral industries. What started out as informational sessions, has turned into a strong community and every single one of them is so much more than just an online tour. It is where many friendships are being made, they have sparked real-life meet-ups as well as countless plans to meet and visit the people introduced through the session once Japan is open for travel again... But of course, this conversation with Simone is not all about her projects, it is really about the amazing person that she is, creative, funny, generous, and above all humble. Putting the community first, a facilitator creating a space for people to meet, to exchange, and maybe most importantly in a time where we are all practicing social distancing, to belong. Learn more about her project by checking out "the Taste with the Tōji" and if you want to keep up with Simone follow her on Instagram or Facebook.
...as a little bonus, she has also shared with us her art, you can see it here as well as some of her pottery, which is absolutely beautiful... This is a weekly podcast so make sure to subscribe and tune in every Thursday and follow Sake Unplugged on Instagram and Facebook for updates and shenanigans, or if you are looking for additional information visit www.sakeunplugged.com
The next episode will be aired on the 3rd of February and will be about sake categories, why they are meaningful, and why they often do not help at all.
Until then, have a nice sake!