Mutsuko Soma Crowdfunds Her New Handmade Soba Restaurant

Mutsuko Soma, soba-making superstar and former chef of Miyabi 45th, is planning her restaurant comeback: She’s taken over the original Art of the Table space (left vacant by a relocation) and is crowdfunding some major expenses through Indiegogo.

Kamonegi, named for the “harmonious culinary pairing of duck and leek” according to the project’s Indiegogo site, will showcase Soma’s handmade soba, which she learned to make in Japan. Traditional, seasonal tempura will also feature prominently.

The restaurant name, fans may recall, is what Soma called her pop-up series, which she launched after ending her run at Miyabi 45th for maternity leave. To keep her profile up during this period, Soma teamed with the likes of Kraken Congee, Chan, and Naka for special events. Soma and her artful soba were also the subjects of a short film, “The Heart of Soba,” by Andrew Gooi, a James Beard Award-nominated filmmaker who moved from Phoenix to Seattle this year.

Soma is trying to raise $25,000 to help her hire servers and a cook, as well as purchase decor and dishware to transform the space into the kind of soba restaurant one might find in Japan. Contributions are rewarded with such goodies as hugs, thank-you notes, admission to the friends-and-family opening preview, gift cards, and more. Should all go according to plan, Soma will unlock the doors in the fall.