Simply Donabe “A Cookbook Celebration” Dinner at Camelia DTLA
February 19, 2026
What an incredible night of celebration it was! A very popular Japanese French bistro, Camelia in Downtown LA, hosted a special collaboration dinner to celebrate the launch of my new cookbook, Simply Donabe, and the chef team prepared several dishes from the book for the evening and they were so delicious.
More than 150 people (!) came to join us and enjoyed the nourishing cuisine while sharing the beautiful happy donabe spirit together. I loved watching the guests smiles when the donabe lids were lifted to reveal Ishikari Nabe. The aroma filled the space and felt like pure donabe magic.
Thank you to everyone who joined us and celebrate with me!
Huge thank you to Courtney, Charles, and the entire Camelia team for welcoming me and creating such a beautiful event. I am truly honored.
It was also so special to have my pal, Oshaberi Matto-san — the photographer of Simply Donabe — who happened to be in LA, join us with his girlfriend Maithi. Celebrating together made the night truly special and meaningful!
Happy Donabe Life!
Naoko