Hiroko Sugiyama was born and grew up in Kobe, Japan. She has studied culinary arts in Japan (Isihara cooking school), France (La Varenne), Thailand (The Thai Cooking School at the Oriental), and the United States (Home Chef, CIA). Her teaching career began in San Francisco in 1985 at The Home Chef Cooking School, where she was trained by The Home Chef founder, Judith Ets-Hokin. Since 1991 Hiroko has directed her own cooking school, Hiroko Sugiyama Culinary Atelier in Sammamish, Washington.

As an active member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals and a designated CCP(Certified Culinary Professional), she frequently travels around the world, aggressively explores new food trends, and is often invited to teach while on location. Her passion for food and life translate into creative, inspired fun food and classes, wherever she finds herself teaching. Since 2002, Hiroko has been teaching "Chakaiseki," the formal meal served for the Japanese Tea Ceremony. Her highly successful Chakaiseki class has been featured by both local and international media. Hiroko also enjoys teaching children at Kids Cooking Camp.

In addition to teaching cooking and culinary arts, she loves sailing on her wooden sailboat made by John Guzzwell and she is a lifelong student of the Japanese Tea Ceremony and Japanese calligraphy.

Hiroko Sugiyama Related Articles:
(in English)
Serving Kaiseki
Formal, playful and metaphorical, this is the meal made for tea
Pacific Northwest Magazine Sunday, January 30, 2005
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/pacificnw/2005/0130/taste.html

Fantastic Forage: Wild matsutake mushrooms
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER Wednesday, October 13, 2004
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/food/194860_mushroom13.html

(in Japanese)
Featured People: Hiroko Sugiyama
YOUMAGA, July 1, 2005
[456 KB | PDF]

Chakaiseki
YOUMAGA, November 1, 2005
[324 KB | PDF]