Family Recipes Meet Indulgent Dining
PHOTOS BY JORDAN RANDALL
If it feels like you’re in the midst of a family function being hosted by an aunt and uncle who really know their way around a kitchen—and probably should consider being in the food industry—take another bite and remind yourself you’re actually at a high-end restaurant with decadent food in a beautiful setting.
Kenneth Hosfeld loves to talk about the 16-hour process involved in taking a select cut of beef and turning it into pastrami so fresh you would swear it was from a New York Deli, and within many of his stories you find the origin for accidental recipes. He was a telecommunications professional for decades, and even founded his own VOIP company, but food is his passion.
His wife Ana Imai, who is 100 percent Japanese but born and raised in Brazil, where the couple met, started making onigiri—a popular traditional Japanese food consisting of tightly packed steamed white rice wrapped in seawood—when she realized it made for a perfect “recovery snack” for several of their children who were competitive swimmers.
Fast forward to years later, when all five of Kenneth and Ana’s children were grown, she started Omusubee out of Catapult in downtown Lakeland. Today, Omusubee has a contract with the University of Central Florida to be their sole provider of onigiri, and the company sells several dozen varieties of their product at the local farmer’s market and farmer’s markets in South Florida. Kenneth says they have developed into one of the leading producers of the portable, easy to eat snack on the entire Eastern seaboard.
Their love for Japanese food that caters to a more Western palate is on full display, along with some American classics with a Japanese twist, at Sora Eatery, located on the second floor of Lakeland Linder International Airport.
While enjoying the natural light and warmth of blue Florida skies coming in the windows and watching aircraft come and go, customers are treated to food and drink options with an incredible amount of flavors and textures that are fit to satisfy people with very particular palates as well as someone just looking for a great tasting burger and fries.
“I always enjoyed cooking and always told my wife I wanted a bar,” says Ken with a laugh, sitting at a table just in front of the exquisitely designed bar at Sora where staff mix up everything from Espresso martinis to fresh matcha drinks. He is always tinkering with ideas in his home kitchen. A recent creation that he added to the menu has been a hit with customers. The Ribeye Bulgogi Crispy Fried Rice Bowl includes crispy fried rice, ribeye, sautéed vegetables and house vegan kimchi with two sunny fried eggs, chili threads, sesame seeds and fresh spring onions.
Other popular asian inspired dishes include bao tacos, asian grilled chicken skewers, kimchi fries, and of course, onigiri.
Sora Eatery came to the airport on the heels of WACO Kitchen exiting the restaurant space, and leadership of the Lakeland Economic Development Council advised the owners to add some traditional American options to its menu.
They have accomplished that with offerings like the Pastrami on Brioche sandwich, the Tokyo Drift burger that features a fried egg and Wagyu beef, and a variety of traditional breakfast items. Ben Paniagua is the third partner in the business, and like Omusubee, he started his now-Orlando based business WAFU at Catapult.
Collectively the group is aiming to create space that Lakelanders, especially those residing in South Lakeland, come back time and again because the food is unlike anything around and the service is friendly and personable.
“Once they try us they’ll see what we’re capable of, and we’re working hard to make great dishes that will keep them coming back,” Ken says.