Sacramento hidden gem Osaka-Ya: The family behind the mochi
SACRAMENTO -- A Sacramento family is keeping tradition and recipes alive as they serve up a bite-sized taste of Japan.
Family establishment Osaka-Ya is one of the few remaining mochi shops in California and the only one in Sacramento.
This Asian-American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, CBS13 took an inside look at the Japanese confectionery's mochi-making process and learned the family history behind Sacramento's hidden gem.
The store's main attraction, mochi, is a soft and chewy Japanese snack made up of rice flour, sugar, and water. Current owner Linda Nakatani's parents opened Osaka-Ya in 1963. She describes her parents as humble – letting their work speak for itself.
"My mom was not the type of lady that would put advertisements out, so we haven't had a business card for like 30 years," Nakatani said. "It just went by word of mouth."
As word spread about the product, people traveled from across California for a taste of the family's recipe. Over the years, deliveries from their store on 10th Street have traveled all the way to Denver and Seattle.
"I'm so proud of what my parents did," Nakatani said. "They went from zero to what it is now."
Nakatani worked at her parents' store from a young age — working long hours into the night as she juggled school. As they taught her the recipes and tradition of the mochi-making process, they also instilled in her the discipline and work ethic of running a small business.
"There were times when the bus driver knew how hard I was working," Nakatani said. "When I would fall asleep on the bus he would drive all the way back to school and I would wake up and say 'Oh my God I was supposed to be at work,' and he says 'Relax, you needed rest.'"
Nakatani's dream is for her parents' legacy to live on. She plans to hand down the business to two employees who quite literally grew up in the store — her two sons, David and Yoshio.
"When my sons were born, I had a playpen in the back and I raised them in here," Nakatani said."
Her sons are all grown up now, following in their mother's footsteps as they perform the same labor they watched her do as children. As a team, they complete the hours-long process that goes into each batch of mochi.
"It feels like muscle memory," David Murakami said. "I can make them now without looking at what I'm doing."
For the Sacramento hidden gem and the family that runs it, the recipe for success is simple:
"Keep the ingredients the same and work hard," Nakatani said.
