Savarimuthu, Stephen, OMI – I am Fr. Steve OMI from India, serving in Japan. As the pastor of Naruto & Anan Catholic Churches, I am daily surrounded by the smiles of children and feel hope through Montessori education in the kindergarten. In my spare time, I prepare cooking videos featuring South Indian dishes, using my hometown cousins in Japanese for YouTube.
Recently, Chef Okazawa of the long-established Japanese confectionery shop “Momijiya” visited me after seeing one of my videos. He proposed the idea of making curry bread with my South Indian cousins. I was surprised by the proposal, but I was happy that it could be a wonderful opportunity to share the culture and flavors of South India.
I started thinking about a curry bread recipe, emphasizing the importance of spices and the control of spiciness. After about a month and a half of trial and error, we completed two varieties: the “Priest’s Curry Bread” and the “Angels’ Curry Bread.” We unveiled them at the “Anan Virgin Mary Kindergarten Marche,” and many people came to buy them. All the curry bread sold out, and it was a great joy to see the children’s smiles and hear them say, “It’s delicious!” The whole story was recorded and broadcast on a TV news channel.
Japanese people love Indian curry and want to cook it at home, so I also conduct cooking sessions to communicate with people outside the church circle and prepare videos for YouTube. What I want to convey is that food has the power to bring people together.
Cherishing the taste of our hometown and sharing the joy with the local community is a new way of meeting people.
Check my YouTube channel here and here.
With love and gratitude,
Fr. Steve OMI
