About Yuko’s Table

Life and everything else that matters happens around a table (some say kitchen, but work with me here). Yuko’s Table is my platform and ongoing endeavor to learn, collaborate, nourish, investigate, teach, source, cook, and share my love of food and food culture. It is my attempt to reach out to foodies and non-foodies alike to explore beyond the familiar conventions of food to go deeper into how food can bring us together.

At Yuko’s Table, food serves as a portal to engage culture, traditions, history and the environment. It may be as simple as sharing a recipe given to me by an old friend or through the more ambitious projects like “Eating Japan”, exploring Japan’s lesser known food traditions, or “Project Beowulf” tapping into family and cultural oral traditions of passing down recipes, cooking techniques and stories that span generations.

I have lived in many places with varying cultures, including Tokyo, Vancouver, Bali, Singapore, San Francisco, and a few other places in between. Along the way, living in these wonderful places I found myself hosting, entertaining, feeding literally thousands of people (I did the math) from all walks of life, from around the world.

There are many days of meals, recipes and stories to come but the next-level food discovery journey is through research, interviews with experts (famous folks and notoriety-free faces, alike), and introductions to distinctive and uncommon ingredients, traditions, and food experiences from across the world. I hope you will enjoy and share Yuko’s Table and stay tuned as “Eating Japan” and “Project Beowulf” take form and grow, as well.

The early years……

Born during an earthquake in Japan to parents from two distant countries with very distinct cultures, Yuko began her culinary journey of learning, eating, hosting, sharing and feeding at age 2. From this young age, she was often found chatting up the chef, servers, maitre’ds or the pianist (if there was live music), but mostly, hanging about in the kitchen.

Age 3 - Told by mother’s best friend, “Don’t worry, one day you will be able to sing.”

Age 5 - Caught in the act of sucking up a cracked egg off the floor with a vacuum cleaner. (Vacuum cleaners are magic, don’t you know?)

Ages 6 - Early creativity further crushed by the sisters of the “Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.” In response, Yuko boycotted her parochial school bus, choosing to walk and take public transportation, which allowed her to begin stopping into visit and converse with local shopkeepers and vendors enroute from school. This became part of Yuko’s own private daily routine.

Age 7 - Busted by mom. They went to get a cup of tea at a 5th floor coffee shop. As far as mom knew, they had never been there before. But the staff greeted Yuko by name. Truth was, Yuko was a regular. She had found the coffee shop on her own, while exploring a bookstore on the same floor. She visited daily on her way home from school.

Also at age 7 - Discovered her innate plate-smashing talent at her family’s favorite Greek restaurant in Roppongi, Japan.

Age 9 - Moved. Trans-Pacific. In Canada, home continued to be a non-stop hub for nearby friends and visitors from afar, centered on food and sharing stories.

Age 13 - Threw frozen drumstick into a pot of hot oil while cooking alone. Frightening eruption occurred, survived, and luckily didn’t burn down the house. Lifelong lesson and appreciation for science gained.

After many years, she finally launched Yuko’s Table to realize her squashed creativity through Project Beowulf and Eating Japan. Though even now… she still can’t sing.