Hiller’s to Showcase Its Vast Selection of Japanese Foods and Products

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – “I was born in a restaurant,” says Kyoko Watanabe, Hiller’s Japanese Foods Buyer, who learned to cook by watching her mother prepare sensory-rich dishes. “The Japanese say, ‘If you grow up in front of a Temple, you know how to chant,’” says Watanabe. “My mother used to tell me, ‘If you want to learn to cook, watch.’”

On Saturday, March 7, from 12-3 p.m., Watanabe will give Michiganders the opportunity to learn authentic Japanese cooking as she and several other chefs will prepare favorite dishes and offer shoppers samples, instructions and cooking advice. Hiller’s Japanese Food Fair will take place at the Commerce Township store, 14 Mile and Haggerty roads, the home of Hiller’s largest selection of Japanese foods.

Japanese cuisine focuses on staple foods like rice or noodles, soup and okazu – dishes made from fish, meat, vegetables or tofu. Because Japan is an island nation, seafood appears on family tables frequently. Hiller’s is known for its fresh, high-quality seafood including squid, octopus, eel and shellfish as well as sashimi-grade fish.

Specialty flavorings like dashi, miso and soy sauce are sold among Hiller’s Asian foods selection. Presentation and process are important parts of a Japanese meal, as Watanabe will demonstrate.

Some 359,000 Japanese expatriates live in North America, with 127,000 of them permanent residents. Many Japanese workers come to Michigan for three-year stints in various local industries, beginning their term here in February.

In addition to Japanese foods, Hiller’s sells an extensive array of Korean, Thai, Chinese and Indian foods, from hot mustards, black bean sauces, Szechuan and Tandoori marinades to chile relishes and curry pastes. Hiller’s sells 800 authentic Japanese items – all the makings for sushi, pork buns, 25 kinds of Japanese pickles and varieties of miso, sake, shochu and oolong tea.

“If I don’t eat high-quality sushi with a plate full of vegetables at least once or twice a week, I feel like I’m missing something,” says Hiller’s CEO Jim Hiller. “Health is a huge part of Japanese food habits – the cuisine is delicious and unique, and the Japanese are highly aware of the good effects on health from eating one food over another. That awareness is enviable.”

Founded in 1941 with a commitment to quality, service and selection, Hiller’s operates seven stores in metro Detroit. Among its stores, located in Ann Arbor, Berkley, West Bloomfield, Commerce Township, Union Lake, Northville and Plymouth, Hiller’s offers a wide variety of foods for specialty palates as well as dietary-restrictive consumers with nut, dairy and wheat allergies, and people who follow kosher and gluten-free diets.

Hiller’s Japanese Food Fair
When: March 7, 12 p.m.-3 p.m.
Where: Hiller’s Market, 39950 W 14 Mile Rd (at Haggerty Road).

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