A spotlight on Asano Otsu, owner of Samurai Sue’s Everyday Foods
June 27, 2022
Starting this weekend, visitors will have the opportunity to purchase a delicious variety of to-go food items prepared by Samurai Sue’s Everyday Foods, a Red Lodge-based wholesale bakery and kitchen, and one of two new culinary partners at Tippet Rise this summer. Samurai Sue’s Everyday Foods is owned and operated by Asano Otsu, a well-regarded member of the community known for her commitment to the land and the outdoor recreation it provides.
Based out of a cottage downtown, Otsu and her small team bake and cook an array of items daily, including sourdough breads, breakfast burritos and sandwiches, and healthy grab n’ go lunches, which are sold by popular locales including Circle 17 Sinclair, Red Lodge City Brew Coffee, Beartooth Market, and Yellowstone Valley Food Hub.
Asano Otsu’s journey to Montana may have been physically long – she grew up in Kyoto, Japan – but it is also the perfect amalgamation of her upbringing and passions. Her mother was a caterer in Japan, cooking up fusion dishes that blended various flavors and cultures, and her grandfather was an avid outdoorsman, instilling in her a love of the outdoors, skiing, and hiking.
An extended trip to the United States as a 7th grader, staying with a family in Telluride, Colorado, further cemented her future path. After graduating from Prescott College in Arizona, Otsu eventually made her way to Montana as an instructor with Outward Bound. She has worked for various businesses in and around Red Lodge and became an American citizen in 2014. She switched career paths in 2016, managing Mas Taco, and rediscovered her passion for food. In 2018 she started Everyday Foods with the motto, “We cook foods you want to eat, EVERY DAY. Handmade, fresh, and wholesome.”
From July 1 – August 21, visitors to Tippet Rise can purchase an assortment of sandwiches, wholesome grain bowls, and picnic-style charcuterie plates, all prepared by Otsu and her team. Cold drinks, coffee and tea, chips, cookies, and other snacks will also be available for purchase from Will’s Shed, with the option to take food out onto the trails, or in and around the Cottonwood Campus.
We are grateful for Asano Otsu’s creativity, and the energy that she puts into her food, which will undoubtedly serve our visitors well as they hike and bike the 15 miles of trails throughout the ranch.