In February 2023, a cake using Japanese sweet potato “Beni Haruka” was introduced at the popular sweet shop “Burrow.” Resobox has been working with farmers and local governments to help promote Beni Haruka, and this collaboration is the latest fruit of our efforts. It is a delightful connection between the sweetest of sweet potatoes, and a pastry shop that is known and loved for its cake-like art pieces that showcase the ingredients.

Burrow was opened in 2013 by Ayako Kurokawa, who moved to New York in 2000 and gained experience as a pastry chef at “The Modern” and “The Plaza Hotel,” as well as her partner, Wataru Iwata. It is a popular shop with many celebrity fans who have recognized its skillfully made confections, and has been featured in numerous publications such as The New York Times and the popular food & entertainment magazine Bon Appetit in the US. Burrow is also very popular online, with over 90,000 followers on Instagram.

In order to make the most of this specialty ingredient, the chefs designed a tart boldly topped with large pieces of Beni Haruka. “When it comes to sweets that go well with warm drinks in the cold season, they tend to be sweets made with butter or sugar. So, this time we made a tart. ‘Beni Haruka’ is a sweet potato that cannot be said to be a familiar ingredient in the US yet, but when we sold it for two weeks as a seasonal taste, we received a very good response,” said Iwata.

In recent years in Japan, sweet potatoes have also become established as a spring-summer delicacy, enjoyed as “hiyashi yaki-imo” (chilled grilled sweet potato). Burrow is also “exploring sweets in a different form now,” according to the shop. We look forward to seeing what kind of sweets will be born in the future.

RESOBOX works with Japanese companies, local governments, and farmers to promote Japanese ingredients and prepared foods in the US, and conducts sales activities at various eateries and retail stores in the US. This collaboration is part of a project to promote the appeal of Beni Haruka from Kagoshima Prefecture.

For inquiries about Beni Haruka and other Japanese food ingredients, please contact RESOBOX (info@resobox.com).