Waran Japanese Sauces’ Mamoru Kondo at work

The best sauce is hunger, the old adage says. But a close second is any sauce based on the umami punch of fermented miso. Take it from Mamoru Kondo, purveyor of offbeat Japanese condiments.

Mamoru Kondo. Picture: Emma Sheldrake

The best sauce is hunger, the old adage says. But a close second would be any sauce based on the umami punch of fermented miso. Take it from Mamoru Kondo, pictured pouring one of his own concoctions over a plate of gyoza dumplings. Mamoru and his wife Yasuyo, who emigrated from Japan 20 years ago, have a craft business making condiments that tip a hat to their heritage while also giving a high-five to the culinary adventurism of their adopted home: think miso dressings with Cacao & Chilli, or Wasabi & Lemon, or Mustard & ­Sesame. Their business, Waran, takes its name from an ­orchid created by cross-pollinating Japanese and European flowers. “East Meets West” is the company motto.

Mamoru, 70, hails from Tokyo’s Tsukiji district – home until recently to the city’s famous fish market – and worked in the fashion industry, on the commercial side, for many years. That’s how he met Yasuyo, who was a fashion designer. And those commercial/creative roles have carried over in their new life as purveyors of offbeat Japanese ­condiments in Australia: Yasuyo comes up with the ideas for new flavours, and oversees operations in their commercial kitchen; Mamoru is the taster-in-chief and head of sales. “She create something, I taste, then we discuss,” he says of their modus operandi. His favourite condiment among their range of seven? The Chilli Oil & Herb dressing. “Very special taste,” he says, adding with a chuckle: “Secret ingredient. Very secret, you know.” The couple, who ran a gyoza stall at Noosa Farmers Market for years before branching out into condiments, have just uprooted from the Sunshine Coast to Melbourne, on a mission to expand their business.

Noosa photographer Emma Sheldrake was a regular at the Kondos’ gyoza stall. “They’re amazing – the best dumplings I’ve ever tasted,” she says. In this portrait, she wanted to capture Mamoru’s quiet concentration, and his sense of ceremony. “He’s gentle, and otherworldly at the same time,” she say. Then, in a fitting tribute to that East-meets-West sensibility, she reaches for the Hollywood movie ­franchise The Karate Kid. “He reminds me of Mr Miyagi!”

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