These Strawberries Taste Like Gail Simmons' 'Wildest Dreams'
"Top Chef" judge Gail Simmons is a big fan of veggies and fruits. The mom of two told People she goes "heavy" when it comes to these two food groups. She also revealed she loves to experience food and doesn't limit what she eats, saying, "My job is so tied to food and cooking and eating, I never say no to anything. More than anything, I try not to eat fast or processed food. Eating real food is my requirement."
Well, the Canadian chef has stumbled upon a type of strawberry that just recently made its way to the United States, and when Simmons shared a post of her happy find on Instagram, her posse of chef and foodie friends responded with a thunderclap of questions regarding where they could "get their hands" on some of that sweet fruit. Simmons posted a couple of photos of the beautiful red delights and shared that they are Omakase strawberries, a rare edible treasure that hails from Japan. These, however, are not imported to the U.S. but instead have been cultivated in the country. The post has received over 2,600 likes and sparked lots of interest.
They're expensive
Gail Simmons wrote on Instagram, "Every time I've traveled to Japan I've spent an inordinate amount of time in the food halls of department stores ogling the mountains of pristine, perfectly packaged fruit. I've never seen anything like it. Until last week when I got my paws on these swanky omakase strawberries that recently dropped in the US. My whole house smelled like candy and they tasted like my wildest dreams. Legit."
Chef Brooke Williamson wrote, "I'm dying to get my hands on these!" while chef Bryan Voltaggio simply typed, "Tell me where ..." And still another fan responded with, "I want!!!!!" They definitely look sweet and juicy, but what is an Omakase berry?
Oishii, the purveyor of these rare strawberries, explains that they're found in the Japanese Alps. But the company is growing them in an indoor vertical farm created to mimic the same conditions that bring the fruit to life in Japan – "light rain, cool breeze, and bright sun of a Japanese winter's day" (via the Oishii website). They're aptly being grown in the Garden State as well as New York and California. However, if you would like to experience strawberries that taste like Gail Simmons' wildest dreams, make certain you bring a full wallet. The Oishii site shares that three medium Omakase strawberries will run you $15, and six will cost $29. Eight large Omakase strawberries are a whopping $50. Looks like we'll just going have to be content with dreaming about these.