Bento, the compartmentalized Japanese lunch boxes are a window into Japanese culture and the importance placed on presentation, color, nutrition, and balance. 

Japanese cuisine expert and cookbook author Debra Samuels will present a lively PowerPoint about the elements of Japanese cuisine, share several of her bento boxes from her extensive collection and conduct a workshop on how to put together a delicious and colorful bento for you and your family. Learn how to make filled onigiri, the Japanese rice ball, tamagoyaki, a delicious rolled omelet, quick cucumber pickles and a few edible garnishes you can tuck into your box. You are invited to cook-along with Debra. No special equipment is necessary. A list of ingredients will be provided upon registration.

Debra Samuels was the recipient of the Japan Society of Boston’s 2020, “John E. Thayer III Award,” for outstanding contributions to the progress of the understanding and friendship between the people of the United States and Japan. She leads the program content and curriculum development of TABLE FOR TWO USA’s Japanese inspired food education program, “Wa-Shokuiku -Learn. Cook. Eat Japanese!”. She was a food writer and contributor to the Food Section of The Boston Globe and has authored two cookbooks: “My Japanese Table,” and “The Korean Table.” Samuels curated the exhibit, “Obento and Built Space: Japanese Boxed Lunch and Architecture,” at the Boston Architectural College (2015) and co-curated, “Objects of Use and Beauty: Design and Craft in Japanese Culinary Tools,” at the Fuller Craft Museum (2018). Many of the objects for both exhibits were from Debra’s extensive personal collection. Debra worked as a program coordinator in the Japan department and an exhibition developer at the Children's Museum, Boston (1992-2000). She has lived in Japan, all together, for 12 years and specializes in Japanese cuisine. She travels around the country and abroad teaching hands on workshops on obento, the Japanese lunchbox. During Covid 19 she is teaching live online cooking programs to youth and adults.

This program is made possible by the generous donors to the Cary Library Foundation.