News
Members Select Seasonal Wines
California dominated at the Club's most recent Seasonal Wine Taste-Off.
More than 80 Members voted for their favorite wines at this biannual tasting on April 16.
From a lineup of 12 red wines and 12 whites, Joseph Drouhin's 2017 Chablis Réserve de Vaudon was chosen as the Club's seasonal white for May to July and a 2016 California Zinfandel from Michael David Winery's flagship brand, The Seven Deadly Zins, as the seasonal red.
The seasonal white for August to October is Francis Ford Coppola Winery's 2017 Director's Cut Chardonnay, while another Golden State wine, Cannonball's 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon, was crowned the seasonal red for the same period.
Club Set to Welcome Team USA
After months of negotiations, Tokyo American Club and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) have finalized the contract for the Club to be the venue for USA House during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
The Club will serve as Team USA's hospitality hub during the Summer Games, which run from July 24 to August 9 next year.
"This event promises to be a truly historic moment for our Club and full of unique opportunities and experiences for Members," said Michael Alfant, the Club's representative governor, in an e-mail to Members.
In the lead-up to the Olympics, the Club expects to welcome a number of different US teams and athletes as they perform in test events at the various venues.
Club Enhances Food Offerings
Members eating at the Club's first-floor restaurants will see improved and new items on menus from February 1.
Burger lovers will enjoy succulent patties of chuck, clod and brisket, inspired by a recipe by New York celebrity butcher Pat LaFrieda.
“This fantastic mix brings a deeper beef flavor to our burgers,” says Lindsay Gray, the Club’s executive chef, of the chargrill-friendly patty blend.
Diners at Rainbow Café and Café Med can expect juicier rib eye and strip loin steaks, made from US Choice-grade, corn- and grain-fed beef.
The Club's pastry and bread selection now includes sourdough, 10-grain whole wheat and gluten-free chickpea and fava bean options, as well as freshly baked croissants and pains au chocolat.
Meanwhile, the Club's new supplier of eggs is Atsumi Farm in Aichi Prefecture, which feeds its hens a nutritious diet of corn grain, oak sap, Japanese mugwort leaves and seaweed.
Animal Shelter Receives Club Support
Members showed their generosity during the Club's December charity drive for Animal Refuge Kansai (ARK), an animal shelter and rescue organization in Tokyo and Osaka.
Donations included dog and cat food, toys, litter mats and pet carriers.
The campaign kicked off at the Library's Christmas Story Time on December 1 and ran until the end of the month.
A nonprofit, ARK has rehomed thousands of cats and dogs since its founding in 1990.
Photo (l–r): Club senior librarian Drew Damron, Women's Group President Heidi Regent and ARK's Machiko Nakano
Members Show Seasonal Goodwill
Ninety children will be unwrapping wish-list gifts this Christmas thanks to the generosity of Members during the Women's Group's Salvation Army Angel Campaign.
The campaign, which ran for five weeks from November 6, saw Members buy requested items for children abandoned or separated from their families and living in Tokyo-area Salvation Army homes.
Colonel Cheryl Maynor says the "extremely important" campaign was the first of its kind for the Salvation Army in Japan.
"It is the impact of the gift of kindness that is the greatest gift," she says. "Each child will open a present, a personalized gift with their name on it. They will know someone thought of them, they will know someone knows their name. This is a lasting gift, to be remembered."
Photo (l–r): Salvation Army colonels Kenneth and Cheryl Maynor, Women's Group director of charities Tomomi Fujita and Isako Sekiguchi
