2022 Distinguished Achievement Award Honoring Youko Yamamoto

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Mohonk Consultations is delighted to announce that our 2022 Distinguished Achievement Award Event celebrates Hudson Valley resident Youko Yamamoto, for her work as a peace activist, chef, and cultural ambassador. Each year, we hold our Distinguished Achievement Award ceremony at the historic resort, Mohonk Mountain House, celebrating an exceptional member of our community committed to protecting our ecological and human environment and who has improved the quality of life for residents of the Hudson Valley. This year’s event will take place in the Pavilion at Mohonk Mountain House on Sunday, June 5, 2022, 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm and will feature a Ceremony, performance, and Japanese buffet dinner. We will be treated to a performance by the Japanese Folk Dance Institute of New York and Burlington Taiko.

Youko exemplifies the spirit of community service through her work as creator and director of the Bon-Odori Dance Festival for Peace, which will celebrate its 12th year in the summer of 2022. For this annual event Youko gathers taiko drummers, dancers, survivors of Hiroshima, and the Hudson Valley community in a day-long commemoration and celebration. We will also honor Youko’s support of farmers in our region through her restaurants, Gomen Kudasai (New Paltz, 2008-2018) and Tanma Ramen (now open in Kingston); her offering of performance and exhibition venues to regional musicians and artists; and her creation of educational opportunities for students and teachers of calligraphy, ikebana, and the Japanese language.

Before moving to the Hudson Valley with her family in 2000, Youko studied at the Pratt Institute in New York City and worked as a graphic designer for Stan Adler Associates and Revlon International before opening her own design studio, Yamamoto Youko Graphics. She is married to metal sculptor Kazuma Oshita.

We celebrate Youko’s mission to cultivate peace, educate the public about the many dangers of nuclear proliferation, and nourish the body, mind, and spirit of our community through Japanese culinary and cultural experiences.