Little Tokyo Breakfast Club

Kristin Fukushima (she/her/hers) is the Executive Director of the Little Tokyo Community Council—the nonprofit community coalition of businesses, residents, nonprofits, and other vested stakeholders, dedicated to protect, promote, and preserve Little Tokyo. She previously served as the Project Manager for Sustainable Little Tokyo (SLT), and continues to help steward SLT in its mission to sustain Little Tokyo for future generations. She has also worked for the Pacific Southwest District of the Japanese American Citizens League, the Intercollegiate Department of Asian American Studies at the Claremont Colleges, and is a co-founder of Kizuna, a Japanese American youth development and empowerment organization. Kristin received her Masters of Public Administration concentrating on Non-Profit Management from California State University at Northridge, and her Bachelors degree from Pomona College.

Steve Nagano is a Little Tokyo resident, and has been involved with a number of community organizations and events. As a filmmaker he has shown his film shorts annually in the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival and various community organizations. Since 2011 he has been a board member of the Neighborhood Council. He has done extensive work on the preservation of the testimonies of incarcerees before the Commission WRIC (CWRIC). He has been a key organizer of the Little Tokyo Sparkle, the community-wide cleanup. 

Jane Matsumoto is the former Executive Culinary Arts Director at JACCC, retiring in late 2024. Jane has worked for more than 25 years in public service. She played a key role in major projects like implementing the TAP smart card system for public transportation, but her true passion lies in the culinary arts.

Jane is deeply inspired by the history, science, and preparation of global cuisines—especially Washoku, the traditional food of Japan. Outside the kitchen, she’s often exploring food blogs, diving into cookbooks, traveling, or hiking local trails.

Born and raised in Southern California, Gary returned to the area in 2022 after spending almost thirty years in Hawaii. A graduate of the University of Southern California and the Kapiolani Community College Culinary Arts program, his experience in food and beverage runs the gamut of the industry. Training and progressing in the kitchen at Alan Wong’s Honolulu, he has also served as a Chef de Cuisine, Executive Chef, General Manager, Food & Beverage Director, and consultant, across a spectrum of different properties.