ABOUT US
THINK GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY
ABOUT TOKYO COOKING STUDIO
Tokyo Cooking Studio offers culinary experiences allowing you to discover the beauty of Japanese culture and the world through food. We provide cooking classes and culinary activities where you learn about traditional ingredients and how they are grown and made, as well as the cooking tools and techniques used to prepare cuisine from Japan and beyond. We also value fresh, seasonal, local ingredients and recipes with a creative touch. But most importantly, we believe cooking must be fun! Join us at TCS and let’s have a great time learning together.
ABOUT YUKARI MATSUSHITA
Born in northern Japan, Yukari Matsushita grew up on a farm surrounded by family, nature, the ocean and Japanese home cooking. Later, while attending university in New Orleans, Louisiana, she discovered her passion for cooking and found her way to a culinary school in San Francisco, California. After years of cooking and teaching experience, Yukari launched Tokyo Cooking Studio in Shibuya, Tokyo in 2016. At Tokyo Cooking Studio she offers a variety of Japanese and international cooking classes, and shares her love of cooking, food and culture with people from all over the world.
MY COOKING STORY
JOURNEY OF CULINARY DISCOVERY
ROOTS
I was born on the northeastern coast of the Japanese main island, near the border of Iwate and Aomori Prefectures. I grew up in a small town surrounded by rice fields, farms and family near the beautiful Pacific Ocean.
Family was a big part of growing up, with five siblings, cousins and grandparents living all around me. My father was the owner of one of the regions largest farms and my mother ran a shop selling select meats from our farm and the surrounding area. We were surrounded by nature and always had animals living on the farms; goats, ducks and sometimes visits from wild raccoons. As I think back to my childhood, which is really different from my current life in Tokyo, I remember my big, loving family cooking and eating together in an amazing environment.
CULINARY SEEDS
Growing up I learned a lot of Japanese home cooking from my aunt and my sisters, but the most influential person as a cook is my father. He has some signature dishes no one can beat and he always passionately shares the secrets of his recipes with us. He and I would often go to mountains to pick beautiful wild vegetables and mushrooms, and sometimes hunt pheasant. He was always serious when talking about food. He also used to take me to great restaurants with chefs of strong character and great skill. My culinary passions were seeded by my dad for sure.
COOKING DREAMS
My culinary passions began sprouting when I went to the United States for college in New Orleans, Louisiana. There I began hanging out with foodies and we loved eating out together at various restaurants. During this time I also became crazy about cooking thanks to Martha Stewart. I repeatedly cooked the recipes from her famous cookbook—as well as experimenting—and inviting friends to test my food. Around this time I began dreaming of someday going to culinary school.
After finishing college I relocated to San Francisco to be with my boyfriend, who is now my husband. San Francisco was a gourmet paradise with some of the world’s most unique eating spots offering an amazing mix of flavors that I had never tasted. I really did not expect that my dream of going to a culinary school was about to happen in this new city.
DEEP LEARNING
I found an exciting culinary school the moment I started researching. The founder of the school was Mary Risley, and I recalled seeing her on Martha Stewart’s cooking show, which confirmed that I wasn’t making a mistake going there. The school was very intimate and offered a professional culinary program as well as many international cooking classes. The school provided the opportunity to visit wineries in Sonoma and Napa, and cheese makers in the Bay Area. Popular restaurants’ chefs came to do lectures and share their invaluable knowledge with us as well. I had amazing experiences cooking at the school every day.
COOKING PROFESSIONAL
After finishing culinary school, my professional cooking journey began… Working in a prestigious French restaurant was so much fun! I was making loads of foie gras terrines and soufflés every day, and slicing up beautiful giant truffles. I was surrounded by an abundance of French ingredients and tasted so many amazing flavors. When the restaurant was open, I was responsible for making and plating desserts. So, I plated desserts all night in that crazy fast-paced environment. I don’t remember how many times I was requested to write, “Will you marry me?” on a white plate with a chocolate pen and hide a huge diamond ring in the middle of a dessert! I truly enjoyed working in a professional kitchen. I was truly convinced that cooking was something that could endlessly interest me and was something I wanted to keep learning for the rest of my life.
RETURN TO ROOTS
In 2005 we relocated to Tokyo, Japan and I began work at a company as a cooking teacher. After all of my culinary experience abroad, teaching cooking of Japanese cuisine has been a journey of rediscovery—from the influences of my childhood, family, nature and life in Japan. Getting back to my roots, and the more I learn, the more deeply I truly appreciate the traditions of cooking in Japan and its potential as a doorway to discovering Japanese culture for others.
SHARING THE LOVE
After my return Japan, I decided it was time to do my own thing and founded Tokyo Cooking Studio in Shibuya, Tokyo after working as a cooking teacher in a large and small cooking school in Tokyo. At Tokyo Cooking Studio, I share my knowledge and passion of Japanese culinary culture using quality, seasonal, and fresh local ingredients. Since opening our doors, we have had over 8000 guests from across the globe before and after pandemic. It’s been truly grateful having unforgettable guests; cooking, eating, laughing, and learning from each other. We are here to help you make the most of your Japan trip!
We’re very much excited to have you in Japan our cooking studio!
Happy traveling and cooking!
Yukari Matsushita
