13th Northern California Soy and Tofu Festival to feature expanded offerings
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — The Northern California Soy and Tofu Festival, a celebration of the joy of soy, returns Saturday, June 14, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., to The Event Center at St. Mary’s Cathedral, 1111 Gough St. (at Geary Boulevard) near San Francisco’s Japantown.
The event is the signature fundraiser for the Nichi Bei Foundation, supporting the publication of the Nichi Bei News — the first nonprofit ethnic community newspaper of its kind in the country. The Nichi Bei Foundation will once again be donating partial proceeds to the Nikkei Community Internship and Japantown Youth Leaders programs, administered by the Japanese Community Youth Council.
“In addition to being a signature fundraiser for the Nichi Bei Foundation, the Soy and Tofu Festival has been a vehicle for community-building and leadership development,” said Nichi Bei Foundation President Kenji G. Taguma. “The Nikkei Community Internship program — which is designed to develop future community leaders by placing them in summer internships at nonprofits throughout three Japantowns — and the Japantown Youth Leaders is aligned with that vision. We are proud to be able to support youth development.”
The community-building aspect is evident in the running of the festival, with various groups of volunteers participating in its operations.
At the heart of the festival is the curation of food and artisan vendors.
According to Vendor Coordinator Katie Furukawa Bonifacio, the event is “part food festival, part community gathering,” in celebration of the diversity of the mighty soybean.
“Food is at the heart of the Soy & Tofu Festival, and we’re bringing you fan favorites with some new offerings,” she said. “While many are already familiar with how soybeans can be turned into food products like soy sauce and tofu, there are some other forms of soy that we’ll also be offering this year. Reculture Foods will be sampling tempeh, a fermented soy product from Indonesia. We’ll also have two food new vendors, The Sarap Shop and Thank Que Grill, with Filipino-inspired tofu dishes. In keeping with the festival’s tradition of community participation, Berkeley Buddhist Temple will make their debut at the festival with fried tofu with orange sauce, Pine United Methodist Church will be back with their famous Wafu Dog, and volunteers from Konko Church and Nakayoshi Young Professionals will be serving up items that feature Bachan’s Sauce and Impossible Burgers.”
New to the festival this year is premium tofu from Meiji Tofu, an artisanal, handmade tofu company based in Gardena, Calif.
“There will be several sweet treats available that carry on the legacy of the former Soy & Tofu Festival desert contest, including: The Sarap Shop’s taho (a filipino tofu dessert), tofu donuts from Mume Farm, and soy flavored macarons from newcomer Shades of Sugar Bakeshop. Flavors like shoyu, kinako, and miso will be paired with the crisp and chewy texture of french macarons. Fan-favorite Uji Time will be back with their tofu and soy sauce ice cream.”
And then there’s the artistic interpretations of the soybean.
“Our arts & crafts vendors will be showcasing lots of items inspired by foodie culture, such as art by Caoculator and Mew Doodles, books from On Waverly, and jewelry from The Creative Space,” said Furukawa Bonifacio. “While food is one way in which we celebrate our diversity, the offerings that our arts & crafts vendors have also reflect these unique experiences. Apparel, accessories, children’s items, and even items for your dog inspired by Bay Area and Asian American culture.”
Returning this year is the Soy-Ful Youth Art Contest.
“We’re excited to host the second annual SOY-FUL Youth Art Contest, a celebration of the diversity and cultural significance of soy and tofu through the creative lens of young artists from kindergarten to 12th grade,” said Youth Art Contest Coordinator Natsumi Inoue. “This year, we received 105 entries from 14 states — including California, Hawai‘i, Georgia and Texas — reflecting a growing enthusiasm for this unique art challenge.”
This year’s themes — “Tofu Town” for grades K–5 and “Soyful Feast” for grades 6–12 — invited students to explore soy and tofu in “imaginative and meaningful” ways, Inoue explained. “By encouraging original artwork centered on soy and tofu, we hope to nurture creativity, celebrate cultural connections, and inspire both emerging and future artists,” she added.
The art contest is sponsored by Yasutomo, whose motto is “inspiring creativity.” In addition to supporting the art contest, Yasutomo is also sponsoring the arts and crafts area at the festival, encouraging imagination and hands-on creativity for all ages.
Live Entertainment
Entertainment will be headlined by Seiji Oda, a Japanese American Oakland, Calif.-based rapper known for his lofi-hyphy sound. Returning acts include the Koto Yuki Band, led by koto artist Yuki Matsuyama, K-Pop dance troupe Eclipse, the Wesley Ukulele Band and Gee Yung Dragon and Lion Dance Association.
There will also be onstage cooking demonstrations and fee-based cooking workshops throughout the day, as well as a raffle featuring a grand prize of a trip to Japan, and interactive games such as Tofu Eating Contests.
The festival also features its own mascot, Cutie Tofutti, popular with kids and adults alike.
Sponsors of the 13th Northern California Soy and Tofu Festival include Grants for the Arts, Bachan’s Japanese Barbecue Sauce, Japan Center Garages, Kikkoman, Impossible Foods, the Oshima Ueunten Foundation, Morinaga, the Kinjiro and Eiko Moriguchi Fund and Yasutomo.
Media sponsors include NBC Bay Area, Crossings TV, BaySpo, the Korea Times and Nichi Bei News.
Product donors include Kikkoman, Morinaga, Bachan’s Japanese Barbecue Sauce, Hodo Foods, Impossible Foods, Meiji Tofu Co., Gombei Tofu and Pietro.
For more information, visit: www.soyandtofufest.org
Also check out other Festivals in San Francisco, Arts events in San Francisco.
