Little Tokyo Breakfast Club
When
Where
Price
$10.00 (fees included)
Includes a traditional Japanese breakfast.
Walk-up Availability
No walk-up tickets will be available.
About
Join us on the third Thursday of every month for the Little Tokyo Breakfast Club, a welcoming gathering where community, conversation, and a home-cooked Japanese breakfast come together in the heart of Little Tokyo. Set against the seasonal beauty of the James Irvine Japanese Garden, hosts Steve Nagano and Jane Matsumoto invite guests to share stories, build connections, and engage with the people and experiences that shape the neighborhood. This month's breakfast will be prepared by special guest chef Don Tahara of Far Bar.
Steve and Jane are pleased to welcome Peter Gee, MPP RN, Co-Executive Director of the Little Tokyo Service Center. Peter is dedicated to strengthening systems of care for underserved communities and has spent more than two decades leading organizations that provide comprehensive human services across the lifespan. His clinical and professional interests include community mental health, psycho-oncology, end-of-life care, and advancing health equity. Tickets are available online, with a limited number reserved for walk-up guests on the day of the event.
Come be part of the conversation. Your seat at the table is waiting!
The Little Tokyo Breakfast Club is serving up traditional Japanese breakfasts from Chef Gary Matsumoto, along with engaging talks from special guest speakers handpicked by our hosts, Steve Nagano and Jane Matsumoto.
The Team at the Table
Guest: Peter Gee, MPP, RN
Peter Gee, MPP, RN, is a nonprofit executive and registered nurse committed to building stronger systems of care for underserved communities. Over the past two decades, he has held leadership roles at Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC), The Door – A Center for Alternatives, University Settlement Society of New York, and Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE), leading organizations that provide comprehensive human services across the lifespan.
Peter earned degrees from the University of California, Berkeley, Harvard University, and New York University and is currently pursuing a Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) degree at New York University. He serves as Co-Chair of the Mental Health Committee for the California AA/NHPI Health Equity Coalition and on the Steering Committee of the Los Angeles Coalition on Aging. His clinical and professional interests include community mental health, psycho-oncology, end-of-life care, and advancing health equity. Outside of work, he enjoys reading nonfiction, spending time with his partner, family, and friends, and distance running.
Co-host: Steve Nagano
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.
Co-host: Jane Matsumoto
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.
Special Guest Chef: Don Tahara
Don Tahara is a Little Tokyo restaurateur and caterer. His earliest remembrance of Little Tokyo was his mother taking him on the street car to his doctor’s appointment on 1st and San Pedro Street in the 1950’s. He took Japanese cooking classes there in the 1970’s and started catering in Little Tokyo in the 1980’s at JACCC. He witnessed with pride the early years and growth of JANM in the 1990’s. He participated in LTSC’s Tofu Festival for ten years, and their Sake Festival in recent years. Don signed a lease in 1994 with LTSC for the former Far East Cafe restaurant and with his partners opened Far Bar, whose mission statement described a community focused business serving goodwill and good food. He and his partners opened Sake Dojo in 2017 on historic 1st Street and then sold the restaurant in 2023. Starting with the pandemic and through the current year Far Bar has provided senior meals Mondays-Fridays for the Little Tokyo Nutrition Services program. Currently Far Bar is providing once a week lunches to Pasadena Buddhist to aid the fire victims.
Don has not only catered events at JACCC, JANM, and LTSC, but has done numerous events with LTBA, LTCC, Budokan, Go For Broke, Keiro, Nisei Week, Visual Communications, East West Players, Professional Associations, and Japanese Consulate of LA, He has catered weddings and celebration of life events, as well as family celebrations, corporate and government events.
It was through his work with Little Tokyo non-profit entities and organizations that he became impressed by the hundreds of volunteers and the leaders who were dedicated to the betterment and sustainability of Little Tokyo. They have served as a role model template for Don and Far Bar.
Don was born, raised, and educated in Los Angeles and is a dedicated Trojan, Dodger, and NBA fan. He and his wife Jocelyn were married at Nishi Temple and daughter Jill and son-in-law were married at Budokan, so Little Tokyo is a very special place for Don.
Things To Know
Entrance & Check-in
Check-in: 8:00 am | Event: 8:30 am
The entrance to the Toshizo Watanabe Culinary Cultural Center can be found inside the lobby of our 5-story Office Tower.
All patrons will visit the check-in table, located inside the lobby of the building, so please have your e-ticket(s) with QR code ready.
Accessibility
We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. To be respectful of those with allergies and environmental sensitivities, we ask that you please refrain from wearing strong fragrances. To request an accommodation or for inquiries about accessibility, please contact info@jaccc.org.
Plan Your Visit
JACCC is a 7-minute walk from the L.A. Metro Rail's Little Tokyo/Arts District Station, which connects to both the A and E lines via the Regional Connector.
For additional transportation options and parking details, check out Go Little Tokyo's Guide to the area here.