Sumi Saikawa
Certificate III in Hospitality; Commercial Cookery (TAFE Northern Sydney Institute)
Chef (Hyogo Nutrition Academy Japan)
Registered Administrative Nutritionist (Japan)
Certified Nutritionist and Dietician (Kyoto Women’s University Japan)
Bachelor of Home Economics (Kyoto Women’s University Japan)

Sumi was born in Kobe in Japan as a daughter of a priest at a Zen temple, which is one of the biggest Zen temples in Kobe. The Zen temple traditionally offers the vegetarian meal called ‘Shojin Ryouri’ to worshippers; sometimes the number of people can be over 100 on the same day. Sumi was influenced by that environment that surrounded her during her childhood.

Sumi’s Teaching Style

Culture and background - Cooking to me is fun. I love to make all sorts of dishes but I’m also very interested in the history and culture of each dish. I like to know about the culture and background of the food. My expertise is Japanese and I like to pass this on to my students.
Ingredients - When you walk into an Asian supermarket, you must have millions of questions e.g. ‘what is this?’ or ‘how do I use it’? and so I always spend the first 30 minutes trying to explain Japanese ingredients and seasoning.
Recipes – I want people to make my recipes every day. I try to make the food simple and also use local ingredients.