Lost Passport Cafe NOVA

05/11/2026

Koji ….experience it next week in our Strawberry Amazaki

04/29/2026

Strawberry Rose Vinegar, Strawberry Amazake, and Strawberry Tepeche.

We also got an Irish Yogurt & Granola dessert on its way using dehydrated strawberry’s and pickled green strawberries!!!

04/29/2026

Our latest upgrade on an item that has seen multiple iterations throughout the years:

Mushroom Toast

We have done this one in particular every year to open up the market season. We typically made a ramp butter and even added in morels to the equation. We wanted to try something else. This time around we made a yellow pea miso and mixed it in with softened butter and the results have been incredible! Topped with pickled ramp stems and mustard flower nothing says Spring 2026 more than this dish!!! 3 weeks left of this guy! Come by before it’s too late!

04/21/2026

Ramp Kimchi, Scallion Pancake, Yogurt Pave, Pickled Green Strawberries, Chipotle Honey Vinegar, Korean BBQ Sauce

04/15/2026

I take zero credit for the creation of this drink but will take all of the credit for its flavor notes and profiles. The debut of this weekly drink at our Wednesday farmers market will be 4/22/26. Super excited to have this one finally out there to show you another flavor profile possible with coffee.

1. Through the power of fermentation and complexity of the SCOBY you’ll experience different flavors and nuances that you never knew existed in coffee. Truly a luxury.

2. On a second side note we use the blonde roasts coffee grounds from when we make our cold brew coffee to get a second life out of them and to bring more fruity notes to the forefront.

3. Throughout the year look at our website and social media pages for any interesting new flavor combinations!!

04/07/2026

April Menus is Up!

Work in the kitchen actually started back in early January when we worked on the misos, vinegar, kombuchas, and other ferments. Excited to get to make everything for you all to try!!

-Chef

11/19/2025

Pumpkin Amazake

A little about this special. So we wanted to create something using pumpkin but without the addition of the traditional warming spices that typically accompany it. The flavor of pumpkin in itself it’s soft and subtle. Too many times when you add the spices they overwhelm the pumpkin. So we take sugar pumpkins, juice them, bring to a quick boil, then cool down to below 140°F before adding to the Koji. We then add in cooked Japanese Sushi Rice as well as Glutinous Rice to act as a thickener for the Amazake as well as fuel/food source for the Koji . It is then cooked at 140°F for 8 hours. As the hours go by the amazake gets sweeter and sweeter. Without the addition of sugar. The koji are ravenous at this temperature and quickly consume the complex carbs in the cooked rice and convert them to simple carbs….making it sweet without adding sugar. Truly amazing.

As for the flavorful additions we made a Maple Syrup Kombucha then reduces it slowly on the stove over the course of 6 hours till it was brought back to a syrup like consistency. We then made our own creme fraiche and offered it along side gold Kerry Gold butter for richness and acidity. For texture we added toasted chestnuts and roasted koji oil confit Honeynut Squash. And for garnish some citrus lace, licorice lace, and bachelor button flowers.

This dish to me is a fusion of ideas, techniques, and flavors of both Nordic and Japanese cuisine. In the second picture is how I would serve it when the restaurant is up and running!!

11/17/2025

Salmon Mil Cuit served en Papillote w/ Roasted Root Vegetables.

On the side we have a Roasted Salmon Soup. We roast the salmon head, collars, and the backbone/spline then make a broth from it. Finished with cream. We also have a Dill Butter that is not only flavored with dill but some shallots that were cooked “au sec” with white wine vinegar and Vinho Verde. A we (or you lol) enjoy the soup the butter melts giving you that flavorful dill and acidic punch of the shallot wine reduction.
Garnished with Dill blossoms. Wouldn’t be a Lost Passport Cafe dish without a flower haha.

This dish was inspired from our trip to the Lappand region of Finland. Miles from the Arctic Circle during the height of winter. We spend an evening in a teepee where they were roasting the salmon over the fire and was one of the only items they had on there menu.
Simply amazing. My goal was to bring you this experience without you having to leave the country for it. Or maybe…..it will inspire you to head out there, or somewhere else. And search for that great unknown treasure!!

11/09/2025

11/05/2025

When experimenting goes off track but something wonderful comes to take its place….

As we wind up the year with the final menu / special items we still look at those projects that take time to create. Case in point a menu item that will be arriving toward the end of our season:

Fresh Cheese Curds, forbidden rice anglaise, sourdough rye crisp, and honey fermented pears…..

This was inspired from our trip to Finland a few years ago. But slightly elevated but still adhering to Nordic flavors. Originally this dish was gonna be made using seckle pears that would ferment in honey/rose and juniper tea. As the weeks went by we noticed that all the flavor of pear went into the honey. Which was beautiful. But the pears got too soft. Not so good. So rather then dispose of them we will use them in a drink. A kinda of 0 proof mead….well….not entirely…closer to 1.5-2% alcohol. Never fear as the dessert will still come to fruition. But with a sturdier fruit. Perhaps an Apple :)