From gingery pork meatballs, to Japanese Wagyu steak, to the cardamom-infused ocean roll, Central Oregon has an abundance of must-have taste bud teasers. And don’t forget the pea tendril-carrot salad with horseradish cream.
5 Fusion & Sushi Bar
Top Ramen: Ajii gives you some very good reasons to stop eating grocery store ramen noodles
When I asked my parents if they wanted to eat at Ajii Asian Kitchen with me, they asked me what kind of food they served. I explained it was a Japanese rice and noodle place that specializes in ramen from Chef Joe Kim, the brains behind the delectable 5 Fusion & Sushi Bar. They looked […]
Modern Taste of Oregon
As this issue comes out, six members of the 5 Fusion team are accompanying chef Joe Kim to the James Beard House in Manhattan to prepare an exquisite five course meal for patrons of the American culinary tradition. You may wonder why a chef would travel clear across the country to cook for just one […]
The Tyranny of Good Taste
If you still haven’t gone to a food tasting, don’t believe the skeptics. Vanity Fair called food tastings “tyrannical,” and the New York Times likened the pre-scripted dining experiences to being “a cog in an invisible machine.” Critic Peter Wells wrote, “The night is exhausting, the food is cold, the interruptions are frequent. The courses […]
Best Chef
Joe Kim, lead chef at 5 Fusion and two-time James Beard nominated chef, is a fusion himself. Much of his childhood was spent between San Francisco—where he was born and his dad lived—and La Pine, where his mother moved when he was 6 years old to raise him and his sisters. Kim’s dad is Korean, […]

