What a luscious, “made just for you” comfort food, made even better slathered with your choice of syrup and toppings. So what pancakes are savory instead of sweet? You’d have okonomiyaki, which literally means “as you like it, grilled” in Japanese. Oko Loco has taken this idea and well, gone loco with it, California style. Oko is short for okonomiyaki pancakes, which are as popular in Japan as piz
za is in the USA. Surprisingly, okonomiyaki are very hard to find, even in the culturally rich Bay area. That’s about to change, as soon as folks get a taste of Oko Loco. Oko Loco pancakes are loaded with fresh vegetables like napa cabbage, carrots, kale, potatoes, broccoli slaw and onions. They’re held together with gluten-free batter based in either a dashi or vegan broth and then grilled to a golden crunch with tender insides. It gets better! The synergy of umami flavors surges when Oko Loco swirls on their two secret sauces and sprinkles fresh green garnish to complete the picture-perfect plate. If you like meat with your veggies, you can ask for a bacon add-on to kick it up a notch. Adventurous foodies will love the umami complexity of avocado or fried egg add-ons. Who came up with Oko Loco? The local Keip family, David, Michelle and Rory are piloting their new food offering at the West End Farmer’s Market in downtown Santa Rosa this spring. The Oko Loco origin story is like umami flavor, coming from the synergy of differences playing together to create a dynamic experience. David and Michelle met over 30 years ago in Aikido, the Japanese martial art of harmony, accounting for the Japan connection. David was “ending” his career in restaurants back then, despite his natural talent for making people happy with food. Michelle lived in Italy as a child, instilling in her a deep appreciation for fresh, homemade food crafted with local ingredients and shared joyfully in good company. She’s an avid gardener of fruits, flowers and vegetables. Vibrant food harvested from their Santa Rosa homestead are the inspiration for many “farm to table” meals in the Keip home. David and Michelle’s son Rory, now 26, tips the balance of the Oko Loco story and brings it all together. Since graduating from UC Santa Cruz, the tough job market helped him find work in the food business. Like David, he found he has a natural ability to intuit food flavor and chemistry. Like Michelle, traveling to Italy as a child revealed to him the delicious wonders of tasting unfamiliar foods in a playful, earthy atmosphere. Okay, but that doesn’t explain how Oko Loco came about. It happened quite quickly, very unexpectedly. The Keips speculate they all may have gone a little loco since they had their first okonomiyaki,
David first saw the pancakes on facebook last November, posted in Japan by an Aikido friend. It was Love at First Sight. He was frustrated when a web search came up with far too few places to eat okonomiyaki in the Bay Area, and none in Sonoma County. He had to have them, and Now, so he Googled a recipe and made a batch at home. OMG! They were amazing, and so fun to make and to share. He made them again, and again, and they kept getting better. In mid-December 2013 came the memorable moment when David and Michelle were resting in the afterglow of another okonomiyaki pleasure feast. “You should open an okonomiyaki restaurant!” Michelle blurted with glee. David looked shocked, in an ecstatic way. “Ummm, YEAH!” he gasped. The morning after Michelle and David were somewhat surprised to find that the idea actually had some ground under it. David got clear that he’d only want to do it if Rory wanted to join in. Sure enough, a few days later Rory responded to the invitation with an excited “Yes!” He was delighted. The vision fit with the direction he’d already been imagining for his future, only better. How awesome it would be to have healthy, savory, veggie-packed pancakes to eat any time of day…or night! Come on down to the West End Farmer’s Market and taste your first Oko Loco any Sunday between 10am and 2pm. You’ll want to buy some to-go and reheat the next day, if they last that long. Do make the effort to stay away for a day, because like a good stew, they get better.
