Little Tokyo Breakfast Club

Helen H. Ota is the 2025 Nisei Week Foundation President. She has been involved with the Nisei Week Japanese Festival since 1989 when she became a Nisei Week court member. Helen has been a board member since the early 2000s and was the Nisei Week Foundation president in 2008.  

She is also the Artistic Director Emeritus of COLD TOFU, the nation’s premier Asian American comedy improv troupe, and performed with the group for 25 years. Although she retired from the group as a performer, she continues to be involved as an improv instructor and leads professional development workshops using improv skills for non-profit/community organizations, and corporate entities.

Currently, Helen performs with the Grateful Crane Ensemble and will be traveling with the group to Japan for its biennial Tohoku Goodwill Tour in October 2025. She also sings with Asian Persuasian, an Asian American vocal harmony group that has been singing classic songs from the 50s, 60s, and 70s for nearly 50 years.

In addition to performing, she has 30 years of experience as an event planner and fundraiser, as well as in producing theatrical shows. 

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.