History of Soyfoods and Soybeans in California (1851-1982)
William Shurtleff, Akiko AoyagiISBN: 978-1-948436-41-0
Publication Date: 2021 June 24
Number of References in Bibliography: 4047
Earliest Reference: 1851
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Brief Chronology/Timeline of Soyfoods and Soybeans in California
1851 March 15 – Soybeans first arrive in California, brought by 17 Japanese who had been found on a junk drifting helplessly about 500 miles off the coast of Japan by the U.S. merchant ship Aukland. On March 4 the Aukland arrived at the port of San Francisco. After a 12-day quarantine aboard the Aukland, the men were medically examined by Dr. Benjamin Franklin Edwards of Alton, Illinois. The next day they were permitted to go ashore. As a token of their appreciation they gave Dr. Edwards a gift of soybeans called Japan peas, they had brought from Japan (Ernst 1853; Moore’s Rural New Yorker 1853; Hymowitz 1987).
1852 – Large-scale immigration of Chinese to California began in 1850, shortly after gold was discovered. In California, the Chinese continued to eat their customary foods, which were imported from China. According to 1852 records at the U.S. Custom House at San Francisco, these foods included “salt beans” [probably fermented black soybeans], “dry bean curd,” “shrimp soy” [soy sauce with shrimp], and “bean sauce.” Thus, soyfoods had arrived in California at this early date (Spier 1958).
1878 – The earliest known commercial soyfood product made in the USA is “Bean Cakes,” made in San Francisco by Wo Sing & Co. (Wells Fargo & Co. 1878. Directory of Chinese Business Houses, p. 43).
1881 – Soybeans are first cultivated in California. They were first sent to California by the U.S. consul-general at Shanghai, to the publishers of the San Francisco Call Bulletin, who freely distributed these “Soja beans” and others from Japan (Sun {Baltimore, Maryland} 1882; Sanders 1883).
1878 – The 2nd earliest known commercial soyfood product made in the USA is “Bean Cake,” made in San Francisco by Sam Sing (Wells Fargo & Co. 1882. Directory of Chinese Business Houses, p. 45).
1895 abt. – The wife of a Japanese man named Chieko Hirata begins making tofu in Sacramento, California. This is the earliest known soyfood made by a Japanese in California (Washizu, Shakaku. 1930. Zaibei Nihonjin shi kan [A History of Japanese in America]. Pages 36-37).
1897 – Yamamori Jozo-sho (Yamamori Brewery) begins making Yamamori Shoyu (soy sauce) at 561 North 6th Street, San Jose, California. This is the earliest known soy sauce made in California and the 2nd earliest known soy sauce made in the United States (after Bowen’s Patent Soy made by Samuel Bowen near Savannah, Georgia in 1766) (Zaibei Nippon-jin Nenkan [The Japanese-American Yearbook]. 1905. No. 1. p. 24).
1890s – Significant numbers of Japanese immigrants begin to arrive in the mainland United States – especially in California. 1900-1908 - This period witnessed the greatest influx of Japanese to the mainland USA (Higgs 1978).
1899 – Dofu, Dofu Curds, and Deep-Fried Tofu are made by Chinese companies in San Francisco. The fried dofu is usually cooked in peanut oil. The names of the companies are not given (Blasdale 1899).
1905 – Wing Chung Long, a Chinese company, is making soybean sprouts at 307 Marchessault St., Los Angeles, California (Los Angeles City Directory, 1905).
1905 – Tofu is being made by Minota-ya, a Japanese company, at 24½ Quincy St., San Francisco, California ). (Zaibei Nippon-jin Nenkan [The Japanese-American Yearbook]. 1905. No. 1. p. 10).
1905 – Tofu is being made by Shintaro Kodama, a Japanese company, at 446 Jackson St., Los Angeles, California ). (Zaibei Nippon-jin Nenkan [The Japanese-American Yearbook]. 1905. No. 1. p. 34).
1905 – Sugita Jozo-sho (Sugita Brewery) begins making Sugita Shoyu (soy sauce) at 569 Tyler (Taylor?) Street, San Jose, California. This is the 2nd earliest known soy sauce made in California or in San Jose (Zaibei Nippon-jin Nenkan [The Japanese-American Yearbook]. 1905. No. 1. p. 24).
1905 – Nishi Tofu-ya begins making tofu at 87 Japanese Alley, Sacramento, California. (Nichibei Shinbun-sha. 1905. Zaibei Nihonjin Nenkan [Japanese-American Yearbook]. Directory entry p. 10).
1905 – Ichino Tofu-ya begins making tofu at 446 Jackson St., Los Angeles, California (Nichibei Shinbun-sha. 1906. Zaibei Nihonjin Nenkan [Japanese-American Yearbook]. Directory entry p. 48).
1905 – Murata-ten (Renamed Murata Tofu-ya by 1906) begins making tofu in Isleton, near Sacramento, California. Mailing address: P.O. Box 51, Isleton, California. (Nichibei Shinbun-sha. 1905. Zaibei Nihonjin Nenkan [Japanese-American Yearbook]. Directory entry p. 22).
1905 – Okumura Kuraoka Tofu-ya (Renamed Okumura Tofu-ya by 1906) begins making tofu at 632 N. 6th Street, San Jose, California (Zaibei Nippon-jin Nenkan [The Japanese-American Yearbook]. 1905. No. 1. p. 24).
1906 – Quong Hop & Co. begins making Fuyu Bean Cake [fermented tofu] at Wentworth Place (between Jackson and Washington Streets), San Francisco, California (Hokubei Mainichi Year Book. 1951, p. 17. A large photo shows a pint jar of Quong Hop fermented tofu. The front label reads: "Since 1906”).
1906 – Hayashi Tofu-ya begins making tofu in San Francisco, California (Talk with Mr. Seizo Oka, Head, History Room, Japanese Cultural and Community Center, San Francisco. 1989. Dec. 5).
1906 – Kawaoka Tofu-ya begins making tofu in Lodi, California. Mailing address: P.O. Box 128, Lodi, California. (Nichibei Shinbun-sha. 1906. Zaibei Nihonjin Nenkan [Japanese-American Yearbook]. Directory entry p. 33).
1906 – Murata Tofu-ya begins making tofu at 226 Jackson St., San Jose, California (Nichibei Shinbun-sha. 1906. Zaibei Nihonjin Nenkan [Japanese-American Yearbook]. Directory entry p. 38).
1906 – Karuhorunia Miso Seizo-jo [California Miso Manufacturing Co.] begins making miso at 262 Brannan St., San Francisco, California. This is the earliest known miso made in the United States (Nichibei Shinbun-sha. 1906. Zaibei Nihonjin Nenkan [Japanese-American Yearbook]. Full page ad on unnumbered page near the front).
1907 – Shinoda Tofu-ya begins making tofu at 1218 Third St., Sacramento, California (Nichibei Shinbun-sha. 1907. Zaibei Nihonjin Nenkan [Japanese-American Yearbook]. Directory entry p. 55).
1907 – Murakami Tofu-ten begins making tofu at 140 Main St., Watsonville, California (Nichibei Shinbun-sha. 1907. Zaibei Nihonjin Nenkan [Japanese-American Yearbook]. Directory entry p. 28).
1907 – Akiguchi Tofu-ya begins making tofu at Tesla Coal Mine, 12 miles SE of Livermore, California (Nichibei Shinbun-sha. 1907. Zaibei Nihonjin Nenkan [Japanese-American Yearbook]. Directory entry p. 22). Note: Coal was discovered here in 1855.
1907 – Sa-shi Shoyu Jozo-sho (Renamed Sanoze [San Jose] Shoyu Jozo-sho by 1908) starts making shoyu (soy sauce) at 561 N. 6th St., San Jose, California (Nichibei Shinbun-sha. 1907. Zaibei Nihonjin Nenkan [Japanese-American Yearbook]. Directory entry p. 23). Note: “Sa-shi” is the Japanese abbreviation for “San Jose City.”
1907 – Fukushima Tofu-ya begins making tofu at 228 N. East St., Visalia, California (Nichibei Shinbun-sha. 1907. Zaibei Nihonjin Nenkan [Japanese-American Yearbook]. Directory entry p. 52).
1907 – Yamane Miso, Sakana Sho (Fish Shop) begins making miso at 309½ L St., Sacramento, California (Nichibei Shinbun-sha. 1907. Zaibei Nihonjin Nenkan [Japanese-American Yearbook]. Directory entry p. 56).
1908 Jan 1 – Kodama Miso Seizo-sho begins making Suri Miso and Shiro Koji [Ground Miso, and White Koji] at 310 Crocker St., Los Angeles, California (Rafu Shinposha. 1908. Rafu Nenkan [Rafu Shinpo Japanese-American year book]. Ad, unnumbered page near front).
1908 Jan 1 –Hokubei Shoyu Kabushiki-gaisha (Hokubei Soy Sauce, Inc.) begins making shoyu at 1615 Gough St., San Francisco, California (Rafu Shinposha. 1908. Rafu Nenkan [Rafu Shinpo Japanese-American year book]. Directory p. 55).
1908 –Ogawa Tofu-ya begins making tofu at 149 Vine St. / 149 N. Central Ave., Los Angeles, California (Rafu Shinposha. 1908. Rafu Nenkan [Rafu Shinpo Japanese-American year book]. Directory p. 43).
1908 – Kurata Tofu-ya begins making tofu in Salinas, California. Address: P.O. Box 325, Salinas, California (Nichibei Shinbun-sha. 1908. Zaibei Nihonjin Nenkan [Japanese-American Yearbook]. Directory entry p. 31).
1908 – Mitsunaga Tofu-ya begins making tofu at 226 Jackson St., San Jose, California (Nichibei Shinbun-sha. 1908. Zaibei Nihonjin Nenkan [Japanese-American Yearbook]. Directory entry p. 60).
1908 – Kodama Tofu-ya begins making tofu at 600 N. 6th St., San Jose, California (Nichibei Shinbun-sha. 1908. Zaibei Nihonjin Nenkan [Japanese-American Yearbook]. Directory entry p. 60).
1908 – Hirano Tofu-ya begins making tofu at 446 Jackson St., Los Angeles, California (Rafu Shinposha. 1908. Rafu Nenkan [Rafu Shinpo Japanese-American year book]. Directory p. 43).
1908 – Sanyo Shokai (Renamed Sanyo Shoyu Jozo Gaisha by 1909) begins making miso and shoyu (soy sauce) at 920 Hight St., Melrose (near Alameda), California (Nichibei Shinbun-sha. 1908. Zaibei Nihonjin Nenkan [Japanese-American Yearbook]. Ad, p. 14).
1908 – Hokubei Shoyu Jozo K.K. Jozo-sho begins making shoyu (soy sauce) at 1217 Temple Ave., Fruitvale, California (Nichibei Shinbun-sha. 1908. Zaibei Nihonjin Nenkan [Japanese-American Yearbook]. Directory entry p. 25).
1908 – Inouye Tofu-ya begins making tofu at 108 N. San Pedro St., Los Angeles, California (Rafu Shinposha. 1908. Rafu Nenkan [Rafu Shinpo Japanese-American year book]. Directory p. 44).
1909 – Saza Tofu-ya begins making tofu at 1415 Laguna St., San Francisco, California (Nichibei Shinbun-sha. 1909. Zaibei Nihonjin Nenkan [Japanese-American Yearbook]. Directory entry p. 14).
1909 – Ogata Tofu-ya begins making tofu at 1625 Post St., San Francisco, California (Nichibei Shinbun-sha. 1909. Zaibei Nihonjin Nenkan [Japanese-American Yearbook]. Directory entry p. 14).
1909 – Aramachi Tofu-ya begins making tofu at 1675 Sutter St., San Francisco, California (Nichibei Shinbun-sha. 1909. Zaibei Nihonjin Nenkan [Japanese-American Yearbook]. Directory entry p. 14).
1909 – Shigematsu Tofu-ya begins making tofu at 2119 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, California (Nichibei Shinbun-sha. 1909. Zaibei Nihonjin Nenkan [Japanese-American Yearbook]. Directory entry p. 27).
1909 – Hieda Tofu-ya begins making tofu at 1620 Park St., Alameda, California (Nichibei Shinbun-sha. 1909. Zaibei Nihonjin Nenkan [Japanese-American Yearbook]. Directory entry p. 29).
1909 – Ushijima Tofu-ya begins making tofu at 2336 Lincoln Ave., Alameda, California (Nichibei Shinbun-sha. 1909. Zaibei Nihonjin Nenkan [Japanese-American Yearbook]. Directory entry p. 29).
1909 – Tsuruya Tofu-ya begins making tofu at 390 L. St., Sacramento, California (Nichibei Shinbun-sha. 1909. Zaibei Nihonjin Nenkan [Japanese-American Yearbook]. Directory entry p. 39).
1909 –Kaimei Tofu-ya begins making tofu at 79 Jap Alley, Sacramento, California (Nichibei Shinbun-sha. 1909. Zaibei Nihonjin Nenkan [Japanese-American Yearbook]. Directory entry p. 39).
1909 – Hashii Tofu-ya begins making tofu at 108 N. San Pedro St., Los Angeles, California (Nichibei Shinbun-sha. 1909. Zaibei Nihonjin Nenkan [Japanese-American Yearbook]. Directory entry p. 88).
1909 – Tofu-ya Tanabe begins making tofu at 830 F St., Fresno, California (Nichibei Shinbun-sha. 1909. Zaibei Nihonjin Nenkan [Japanese-American Yearbook]. Directory entry p. 69).
1909 – Tairiku Shoyu Jozo Gaisha. The Continental Soy Brewing Co. begins making shoyu (soy sauce) at 1217 Temple Ave., Fruitvale, California (Nichibei Shinbun-sha. 1909. Zaibei Nihonjin Nenkan [Japanese-American Yearbook]. Directory entry p. 30).
1910 – Kikkoman brand soy sauce is now being exported from Japan to San Francisco (Takahashi).
1912 – Irimame (roasted soybeans) are now sold in San Francisco by The Ohmiya Co.
1921 – T.A. Van Gundy & family of La Sierra Industries in Arlington, Southern California, start making La Sierra Smoein – Bacon Flavored Smoked Soy Powder Seasoning. They are the earliest known Caucasian Americans to make soyfoods in California.
1922 – Sanitarium Food Co. (Renamed Loma Linda Food Co. on 6 Feb. 1933) starts making Loma Linda Smokene on Anderson St. in Loma Linda, California. This is the first of many soyfoods made by the company, which is owned by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. By 1934 the product was named Smoteen, but by 1961 it has been renamed Smokene again.
1926 April 19 – Mutual Trading Co., Inc. is established in Los Angeles, California, when ten Japanese retailers in Los Angeles pool their resources. Mutual was a pioneer in bringing Japanese foods and beverages (such as saké) to the USA, and continues to thrive.
1926 Oct. 26 – Hain Health Foods formally opens at 8:00 a.m. in Los Angeles. The company sold soy bean flour from day one (Los Angeles Times).
1926 – Natto is now made in California by Nihon Miso Seizo-sho in Los Angeles.
1929 Jan. 14 – Bill Baker of Ojai, California, starts making bread from soya and lima beans (Los Angeles Times).
1929 Oct. 29 – Stock market crash heralds the Great Depression.
1930 – Azumaya Tofu Seizo-sho (Azumaya Co.) begins making tofu at 1636 Post St., San Francisco, California. (The Japanese American Directory. 1930. p. 18).
1936 – La Sierra Recipes, a 47-page booklet by Dorothea Van Gundy (a dietitian, Ontario, California) is published by the author. Most of the recipes call for soy-based ingredients. “This book is lovingly dedicated to the memory of my father.”
1937 – Azumaya starts making grilled tofu (yaki-dofu), deep-fried tofu patties (ganmodoki), and unique tofu puffs (agé) that puff up and stay puffed up (Interview with George and Bill Mizono. 1989. Oct. 31)
1937 Sept.– Vitamin K, the anti-hemorrhagic vitamin, is found in soybean oil (Almquist et al.).
1937 Sept. – The whipping ability of soybean proteins is discovered by Betty Monaghan-Watts of the Univ. of California at Berkeley. The white foam greatly resembles egg white but stays whipped and stands up longer.
1940 Jan. 1 – Soyfoods makers in San Francisco are Azumaya Co., Fujimoto Co., Umino Tofu Mfg., and Norio Co. Fujimoto Co. makes miso and koji, and sells tofu ingredients (presumably soybeans and nigari) (Japanese American directory No. 36, p. 7).
1942 Feb. 19 – Executive Order 9066 is signed. Over 50,000 Japanese-Americans living on the West Coast of the USA are sent (with only a few days’ notice) to ten remote “internment camps” for the duration of World War II. These people had to leave their homes, businesses, and most personal property behind. These remote camps were unpleasant and uncomfortable. High, barbed wire fences and towers manned by sentries with guns made escape impossible. Children received no formal education. These people had done nothing wrong. Why wasn’t America apologetic, trying to make life as comfortable and interesting as possible? In a few camps (such as Manzanar) the inmates were enabled to make tofu, miso, and shoyu.
1942 May 26 – Bill Baker of Ojai, California, dies after a brief illness (The Ojai).
1942 – Soy Bean Recipes: 150 Ways to Use Soy Beans as Meat, Cheese & Bread, by Mildred Lager is published by her House of Better Living in Los Angeles (43 p.).
1944 Jan. 1 – Clifford E. Clinton describes the essential characteristics what would soon become Multi-Purpose Food, developed by Dr. Henry Borsook at Caltech.
1945 Sept. – “Soy – China’s Cinderella,” by Julean Arnold of Berkeley, California is published in Soybean Digest (p. 36-37, 69). It describes the work of China Child Welfare, Inc. in establishing 220 refugee camps to accommodate 250,000 people. A small factory for making soybean milk was set up in one of the court yards of the Chinese children’s hospital in Shanghai. There soybean milk and okara biscuits were made for 25,000 to 37,000 children each day in the refugee camps. .
1945 – The Useful Soybean: A Plus Factor in Modern Living, by Mildred Lager, is published in New York and London by McGraw Hill Book Co. (295 p.). One of the most important and innovative books on soyfoods ever written.
1946 – Shoan Yamauchi and his wife start to make tofu in Los Angeles, California. The story of how Matsuda-Hinode Tofu Co. came to be is very complex (Interview with Shoan Yamauchi. 1982. June 29).
1960 Jan. – Kikkoman International Inc. has established an office in San Francisco to import Kikkoman shoyu from Japan. The product is described as an “All purpose” seasoning (Los Angeles Times, Jan. 12).
1961 Dec. 8 – Disciples of George Ohsawa and macrobiotics, mostly musicians, finish their pilgrimage from New York City to Chico, California, seeking refuge from nuclear war (Associated Press; Chico Enterprise-Record). By Sept. 1962 they have founded Chico-San, an importer and manufacturer of macrobiotic foods such as miso, tamari soy sauce, etc. Other companies distribute their foods (Chronology of Chico-San).
1961 – The first commercial tempeh shop in North American, Joy of Java Tempe, is opened by Mary Otten, of Indonesian ancestry, in Albany California. Other early U.S. tempeh shops, all located in Los Angeles, were Runnels Foods (started in 1962), Toko Baru (1969), and Bali Foods (1975). Thus America’s first generation of tempeh shops were all located in California and founded and run by Indonesian-Americans (Shurtleff & Aoyagi, History of Tempeh, 1985, p. 39).
1963 – Eight Immortal Flavors by Johnny Kan and Charles L. Leong is published by Howell-North Books (Berkeley, California; 246 p.). Kan is a master cook in Chinatown, and an excellent researcher and writer. The book is a rich source on soyfoods. The publisher states: “This is the first cookbook – written by a Chinese-American to emanate from San Francisco's Chinatown – the mecca for both Oriental and Occidental gourmets. It is the only cookbook dealing strictly with Cantonese cookery.” The Foreword is written by the famous food writer James Beard (of New York City).
1963 – The Soybean Cookbook: Adventures in Zestful Eating, by Mildred Lager and Dorothea van Gundy Jones is published by Devin-Adair (New York; 250 p.).
1964 Nov. – Zen Macrobiotics, by Teal Nichols is published in Chico, California, by The Ohsawa Foundation. The earliest known macrobiotic cookbook written by an American, its influence is profound. Contains many soy recipes.
1965 – William Brandemuhl of San Francisco is one of the first Westerners to visit Japan after World War in order to study soyfoods. He writes a 478-page book titled Soybean Utilization in Japan (unpublished, with many photos).
1968 – Azumaya Inc. is now located at 855 Golden Gate Ave., San Francisco, Calif. The company started selling packaged tofu (in a plastic tub with water and a heat-sealed plastic film lid and label) at about this time.
1969 May – Fabricated Foods, by Robert E. Gentry and Eleanor M. Connolly is published by Stanford Research Institute (Menlo Park, California) as Report No. 374. It makes bold predictions about textured soy products, and is the earliest document seen containing statistics on the meat alternatives industry or market – by geographical region.
1970 Aug. 9 – “The Organic Revolution,” by Blake Ambrose is published in the San Francisco Examiner. It is a remarkable article about a meeting held by Organic Merchants high (at about 8,000 feet) on Mt. Shasta in Northern California.
1971 Sept. – Diet for a Small Planet, by Frances Moore Lappé is published by Ballantine Books. It one of the most important and influential books written about food, nutrition, and world hunger during the 1970s. It became a huge best-seller and influenced millions of people and many other authors. It encourages eating low on the food chain – i.e., plant-based over animal-based foods.
1972 – The Chico-San Cookbook, by Cornellia Aihara, is published in Chico, California, by Chico-San Inc. (126 p.). It is a rich source of information about soyfoods and macrobiotics.
1972 – Azumaya Inc. starts making kinugoshi soft tofu and namaage: fried soy bean cake at 95 Boutwell St., San Francisco 94124.
1973 – Azumaya decides to break into the Chinese tofu market during a period of meat shortages and high prices. They establish Cathay Co. and begin to make Cathay Tofu: Fresh Soy Bean Cake [Chinese-Style Firm Tofu] at 95 Boutwell St. They introduce America’s first tear-off tofu recipe pads, and two slogans: “Tofu – from the bean that thinks its meat.” And “Hi! I’m Li’l Soy.” With a cartoon soybean that looks like a little person.
1974 Nov. – Soybean Diet: Diet for the Better Protein, by Herman Aihara is published in Oroville, California, by the George Ohsawa Macrobiotic Foundation (175 p.). It is basically an expanded version of his 37-page booklet Miso and Tamari (1972).
1975 Aug. – America’s first commercial tofu box, for making tofu at home, is developed by Ganesha, a woodworker in Berkeley, California. Tofu is not yet widely available in the USA except at Asian grocery stores.
1975 Oct. – William Shurtleff and Akiko Aoyagi start to teach tofu classes in California and Hawaii. Each class starts with a talk about soybeans, soyfoods protein, world hunger, and meatless/vegetarian diets. Then a series of about 25 color slides demonstrates how to make tofu at home.
1975 Dec. 15 – The Book of Tofu, by Shurtleff & Aoyagi is published in Japan by Autumn Press. This pioneering work started the “tofu revolution” in America.
1976 Jan. – America’s first commercial tofu kit, containing everything you need (except soybeans) for making tofu at home, is developed by Ted A. Nordquist of Alameda, California.
1976 Feb. – Letters announcing a “Tofu & Miso America Tour” by Shurtleff and Aoyagi are published in East West Journal and Organic Gardening and Farming magazines. Readers are invited to write them if they are interested in hosting a program. By late August they have received 200 letters. So they begin to organize the nationwide tour to start in September and last 4 months – a colossal undertaking.
1976 Aug. – Farm Food Co. of San Rafael, California (a branch of The Farm in Summertown, Tennessee) starts America’s first soyfoods restaurant or deli – at 820 B. Street. Dishes containing soyfoods served at the deli during its first year in business: Fried tofu sandwiches, tofu salads [like eggless egg salads], tofu salad dressings, and tofu cheesecake; tempeh burger, deep-fried tempeh cutlet, tempeh with creamy tofu topping, and Indonesian delight (tempeh strips with peanut butter and miso sauce over rice); soymilk ice cream, soymilk shakes, soy yogurt, soymilk mayonnaise, and soy whipped creme; soybean stroganoff and burritos; TVP chili; and Vege-Links (canned Loma Linda meatless hot dogs). Also for sale at the food store were packaged tofu, soymilk, tempeh, soy mayo, and Ice Bean [soy ice cream]. Farm members are vegans, live communally, and have taken a vow of poverty.
1976 Aug. – Farm Food Co. of San Rafael, California, starts to make and sell “Ice Bean” – a non-dairy frozen dessert based on based on soymilk. This product is soon made in San Francisco.
1976 Aug. – The Learning Tree Tofu Kit is developed by Larry Needleman in Bodega, California – based on designs from The Book of Tofu. This is America’s first widely sold, advertised and important tofu kit. It contains: a 16-page booklet with recipes & instructions, a Philippine mahogany settling box, a pressing sack, cheesecloth, & enough natural Nigari solidifier for 10 batches of this “practical gourmet food.”
1976 Sept. 23 – The Book of Miso, by Shurtleff & Aoyagi is published by Autumn Press.
1976 Sept. 29 – Shurtleff & Aoyagi start a “Tofu & Miso America Tour.” Trying to do for soyfoods what Johnny Appleseed did for apples, they presented 70 public programs attended by about 3,646 people, did many media interviews and appearances, and traveled 15,000 miles from coats to coast in their white Dodge van. They usually have meals and spend the night with the people who have sponsored and organized each program. After about 4 months on the road, they arrive home on 3 Feb. 1977. After the tour, tofu shops started in most of the areas where they spoke. The trip had five main purposes.
1976 Oct. – Laurel's Kitchen: A Handbook for Vegetarian Cookery and Nutrition, by Laurel Robertson, Carol Flinders, and Bronwen Godfrey, is published by Nilgiri Press in Petaluma, California.
1976 – Miyako Oriental Foods starts to make miso at 404 Towne Ave., Los Angeles, California. Their earliest known price list is dated Sept. 1, 1976.
1976 – Traditional Tofu is founded by Ray Nagai and Gary Sato in Oakland, California (Soyfoods magazine Winter 1981, p. 44).
1977 March – Larry Needleman starts Bean Machines Inc. to import tofu and soymilk equipment from Takai Seisakusho in Japan. Farm Foods immediately orders 16 pieces of equipment at a cost of $4,168. Bean Machines is up and running by October.
1977 April 17 – “Ton yu to tofu” [Soymilk and tofu], by Fred Loetterle is published in California Living, full of praise for tofu and soymilk. There are now three tofu makers in San Francisco: “Azumaya Inc. of 95 Boutwell Street, the Wo Chong Co. of 1001 16th Street, and the Wo Hop Co. of 759 Clay Street. Also, there is one in South San Francisco (Quong Hop's, at 161 Beacon Street, a tradition in or near San Francisco since 1906), another one in Oakland and two in San Jose.” Azumaya (run by four brothers, George, Jack, John and Bill) was founded on 17 January 1937 in a basement at 1636 Post Street, between Bush and Laguna streets. Azumaya is now at its fourth location.
1977 Aug. – The first Catalog of Small and Medium-Sized Equipment is published by Takai Tofu & Soymilk Equipment Co. is published, written in Japan with Wataru Takai by William Shurtleff. The first publication of its type in English, it helps start many new soyfoods companies.
1977 Nov. – Redwood Natural Foods, Inc. in Santa Rosa, California, launches the world's first vacuum packed tofu.
1977 Nov. - Paul Duchesne starts making and selling Fried Rice & Tofu Sandwiches – wrapped in a Burrito – in Fairfax, California. His operation later becomes Wildwood Natural Foods.
1978 May – Miyako Oriental Foods of Los Angeles starts to sell Cold Mountain Firm Granular Rice Koji; it also prints a leaflet of recipes.
1978 June – Richard and Sharon Rose (dba Brightsong Tofu; changed to Redwood Valley Soyfoods Unlimited by July 1980) start making tofu in Redwood Valley, California. In Nov. 1980 they started the Real Food Tofu Café, a 14-seat soy deli, adjacent to it at 8473 East Road, Redwood Valley 95470 – a fairly rural location.
1978 July 28-31 – The Soycrafters Association of North America (SANA) is founded in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Larry Needleman of Bodega, California, is elected the first director.
1978 Dec. – Tofu Goes West, by Gary Landgrebe (of Aptos, California) is published by Fresh Press (Palo Alto, California; 114 p.). By July 1990 the book has sold 145,000 copies.
1979 Jan. – Yvonne and Irene Lo incorporate The Soya Bean Products Co., N.A. in San Francisco as a marketing company and immediately begin to import and distribute Vitasoy, the world's most popular soymilk, to Canada from their parent company in Hong Kong. It is not yet sold in America due to an FDA ban on aseptic Tetra Pak cartons.
1979 Jan. – The Book of Tofu, by Shurtleff & Aoyagi, condensed and revised, is published by Ballantine Books (A Division of Random House, New York) as a mass market, paperback edition. Price: $2.95. Nahum Stiskin of Autumn Press arranged for this publication.
1979 July 1 – The Book of Tempeh: A Super Soyfood from Indonesia, by Shurtleff & Aoyagi, is published by Harper & Row in New York City. This is the earliest known book in any language worldwide devoted entirely to tempeh.
1979 July – Tofu & Soymilk Production: A Craft and Technical Manual, by Shurtleff & Aoyagi, is published by New-Age Foods Study Center, Lafayette, California. This book was used by hundreds of people to start their own tofu shops and soy dairies.
1979 – The Tofu Cookbook, by Cathy Bauer and Juel Andersen (both of California) is published by Rodale Press (Emmaus, Pennsylvania). As of Sept. 1989, 105,500+ copies of this book have been sold.
1980 Feb. – Jeremiah Ridenour (dba Monterey Bay Soyfoods) starts making tempeh at 335 Pennsylvania Ave., Santa Cruz, California 95062. He started making tofu in Sept. 1980.
1980 July – Mark Brawerman (dba Jolly Licks) introduces Ice-C-Bean, a soy ice cream in Carob, Chocolate, Coffee, Vanilla, Strawberry, and Toasted Almond flavors. Later that month he renames his company Pacific Trading Co. His nondairy products are made by a traditional dairy ice cream maker. His main competition is Ice Bean, made locally by Farm Foods.
1980 Aug. 8 – Wildwood Natural Foods (owned by Paul Duchesne) starts making UFO Tofu (water packed in bulk) at 135 Bolinas Rd., Fairfax, CA 94930. Both the date and the name of the product are palindromes – thanks to Billy Bramblett. Wildwood celebrates its grand opening on Sept. 28.
1980 Aug. – Travis Burgeson (dba Pacific Tempeh) starts making tempeh at 1508 62nd St., Emeryville (near San Francisco), California.
1981 Jan. – Travis Burgeson (dba Pacific Tempeh) starts making the world’s first “Tempeh Burger.”
1981 Feb. – Vitasoy soymilk and Morinaga tofu start to be imported to California and sold in the USA from Hong Kong and Japan respectively, immediately after the FDA lifts its ban on aseptic Tetra Pak type cartons. Morinaga tofu was sold by Beech Nut California Corporation, a joint venture with Beech Nut Food Corp., established in 1977 in San Jose, California.
1981 Feb. 15 – Valerie, Gary and John Robertson (dba Soyfoods Unlimited) start to make tempeh in San Leandro, California. In Sept. 1981 they introduced America’s first nonfried tempeh burger, which they vacuum packed.
1981 April – Kevin Cross (dba Soy Power Company, Inc.) introduces Soy Spaghetti in Fresh and Low Sodium varieties from Santa Monica, California 90403. The product was made by Wy Ky in southern California.
1981 Dec. – Juel Andersen’s Tofu Kitchen, by Juel Andersen (of California) is published by Bantam Books (New York; 211 p.).
1981 – Tofu at Center Stage, by Gary Landgrebe (of Aptos, California) is published by Fresh Press (of California; 110 p.).
1981 – The Incredible Tofu Cookbook: California Style, by Mavis Immegart and Patti John Dansby (of Yorba Linda, California) is published (spiral bound) by the authors (128 p.).
1982 Feb. – Yuba is first made and sold commercially in the Western world by Ken Lee of Soyfoods of America, in Duarte, Southern California. Trial production had begun in Nov. 1981.
1982 March – Tofu Fantasies: A Cookbook of Incomparable Desserts, by Juel Andersen (of Arnold, California) is published by Creative Arts (Berkeley, California, 88 p.).
1982 June – Soyfoods Industry: Directory and Databook. 2nd ed., by Shurtleff & Aoyagi is published by Soyfoods Center (Lafayette, California, 56 pages).
1982 June – Report on Soy Delis, Cafes and Restaurants, by Shurtleff & Aoyagi is published by Soyfoods Center (Lafayette, California, 116 p.)
1982 Sept. – Soyfoods Labels, Posters & Other Graphics, by Shurtleff & Aoyagi is published by Soyfoods Center (Lafayette, California, 185 p.)
1982 – The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking, by Barbara Tropp (of San Francisco) is published by William Morrow and Co. (NY, 623 p). One of the best and most authoritative books on Chinese food written by a Westerner, who is a Chinese scholar turned Chinese cook.
1982 May – David Burns (dba Sonoma Specialty Foods) starts making Nutcracker Sweets Creme Pie (Tofu Cheesecakes) in Very Berry , Pineapple Coconut, and Carob Mint flavors at 2317 Bluebell Dr., Santa Rosa, California.