Cooking binds Sachiko to her family's history. It is part of family banter that

Sachiko's first encounter with the world was the scent of vinegar drifting

from her mother's hands, a result of years of making sushi for their restaurant in Japan. Helping in her parent's business formed a focal part in Sachiko's upbringing.

 

Japanese food remains central to Sachiko's life. In 2009 she visited Japan

to research Kobe Beef and was given access to film and document different layers of the industry visiting farms, auction houses, specialist butchers and restaurants. In 2011 a visit to Koya-San, a Buddhist Temple Complex in Japan led to research on Shojin Ryori - vegetarian Buddhist monk food.

 

Through her allotment she has tested how Japanese vegetables would fare

on foreign soil, such as mizuna, shungiku and gobo, all with mixed results. It was these experiences with vegetables that attracted the production team behind Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall where she featured in River Cottage Veg Heroes.

 

Sachiko has developed her craft in the London kitchens of Wabi in Holborn Mitsukoshi in Piccadilly and as an assistant to the Head Chef at Umu, a Michelin-star Japanese restaurant in Mayfair. She went on to develop her skill

with fish at Atari-Ya, a Japanese fishmonger's also in London, producing sashimi for a largely Japanese clientele.

 

Sachiko enjoys sharing her knowledge and has taught at Leiths School of Food and Wine and Demuths Vegetarian Cookery School. A recent research trip to Japan enabled her to acquire a Tofu Meister Advanced qualification and an International Kikisake-shi certification (sake sommelier). She continues to share her skills and understanding of Japanese cuisine through classes at Harborne Food School, The Farm Stratford, Colliers Cookery School and White Pepper Chef Academy.