In collaboration with the Cherry Blossom Festival, Sachiko and Emi will show you how to make Wagashi, traditional Japanese sweets.
Saturday, March 21, 2026
12:00-1:30 PM
2:30-4:00 PM
The Culinary Literacy Center at Parkway Central Library
1901 Vine Street 4th Floor Philadelphia, PA 19103
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The Cherry Blossom Festival is a beloved annual Philadelphia tradition, when we welcome the arrival of spring by celebrating beautiful and fragrant trees coming into flower. This year, we are pleased to partner with the Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia to bring you a hands-on Japanese confectionary workshop.
Wagashi are traditional sweets served as part of a Japanese tea ceremony . Made with rice flour and filled with ingredients such as red bean paste, Wagashi are naturally vegan and gluten-free. (If you have dietary restrictions or other questions, please email us at kitchen@freelibrary.org) These exquisite delicacies range in complexity, from simple forms to elaborate shapes, colors, and textures, depending on the skill of the wagashi-maker. The workshop will be led by Sachiko Houck, a long time tea practitioner in the Philadelphia area.
About the presenters
Sachiko Houck was born in Fukuoka, Japan and is a self-taught wagashi artist out of necessity. As a long time practitioner of Chado, the Japanese Way of Tea, there was no place locally to purchase the sweets so necessary to the enjoyment of matcha tea, so Sachiko began experimenting with making her own. Since then, making and sharing wagashi with others has become her passion. She is a nurse practitioner by training and lives in Lancaster county with her husband, Brian.
Emi Houck, daughter of Sachiko Houck, has always enjoyed the process of creating (and eating!) aesthetically pleasing sweets. She has learned the ropes of preparing wagashi from her mother and now makes and sells them to matcha-focused tea houses in New Jersey and New York City. When not rolling up her sleeves making wagashi, she is teaching ESL to her high school students in Philadelphia. Find her wagashi on Instagram! @marumame.wagashi
Event Information
This program is recommended for adults and teens. Please note, because of the level of concentration and instruction required to make wagashi, tickets for this program are limited. Please be sure you are able to attend before purchasing a ticket.
If an unforseen situation arises that will prevent you from using your ticket, please let us know right away by emailing kitchen@freelibrary.org.
Tickets are sold on a sliding scale with the recommended donation being $30. All proceeds from ticket sales go towards supporting the Culinary Literacy Center’s programs for youth and adults, neighborhood engagement, and English language learning. The donation sliding scale can be adjusted for SNAP-eligible families. Reach out by email kitchen@freelibrary.org for more information.
