A Pièce de Resistance Pairing: Aged Sake and Soft Serve at L.A.’s Tsubaki

When Charles Namba and Courtney Kaplan opened Tsubaki in East L.A. seven years ago, they faced a familiar staffing reality. They couldn’t afford a pastry chef, which meant Namba had to develop an easy-to-execute, crowd-pleasing dessert. Enter hojicha tea soft serve simply presented in a glass cup or layered with textural goodies in a towering parfait. “Charles and I met at En Brasserie...