During my childhood, my grand parents and my parents were constantly working for the restaurant, so I had to help them with small tasks such as washing dishes or cleaning the kitchen counter as a way to communicate with them.

At the age of 7, I started making simple breakfast dishes such as sunny side up or miso flavoured cucumber salad in the morning before going to school. When I turned 9, the grade 3 curriculum included the home economics class. I really loved it, because I was comfortable with every project the teacher gave us, and I learned that I was actually able to teach my classmates with something I always did at home. When I turned 10, my classmate and I started baking some sweets (baked mashed sweet potatoes, cookies, muffins, crepes and dried fruit cakes) after school, and it was a great joy to give the finished goods to our favourite handsome and athletic teacher. LOL

During my junior highschool years, my mother would ask me to make meals for the family and staff, and I would practice making curries, pan fried noodles, stew, gyoza, ramen noodles and such.

So when I left Japan at the age of 15 to study English in America, I took advantage of my cooking skill to continue eating the food that I was most comfortable with. It also helped me share the root of my background with the host families and friends in North America.

I always knew I was good at cooking, and enjoyed it, but I never gave myself any credit for it.

However, when I faced a difficult phase where I could not trust my own feelings and became suspicious of my communication ability, I learned that I could still express myself, my love and passion for the life thru cooking.

I also realized how I could bring colors into people’s living thru cooking, and how cooking can fulfill all of our senses when it is done properly.

I feel that cooking challenges my discipline, time management skill, creativity, knowledge in seasonal produce and products, right combination of flavours and textures, roots of cultural cuisines and values.

I cook, because I can create a miracle moment where all of our senses are fulfilled.
I cook, because I am thankful for the produce and products of our mother nature.
I cook, because I feel I have this blessing being naturally gifted at culinary art inheriting the passion and love for the food and beverage business.
It is my mission to inherit the family tradition by sharing the love and passion for life thru cooking and be a part of the world’s food and beverage industry.

I am exploring ideas and ways to share my passion and love for cooking and to become a culinary artist in my lifetime. In this page, I have posted a few of my recent cooking that I have done for the family and friends. I hope you enjoy looking at them, and your comments are more than welcome: email me. Thank you for visiting my website. May you be fulfilled today and tomorrow.. Love and much blessings. Kumiko