Yuki Gomi is a Japanese chef, food writer and cookery teacher. Her mission is to educate and share just how simple, nourishing and delicious Japanese food can be.
Through her writing and Japanese cooking classes, Yuki wants to share the joy of Japanese cooking by fusing traditional and modern techniques to create accessible, healthy and exciting Japanese food. As a professionally trained chef and author of Sushi at Home, published by Penguin, she teaches Japanese cookery from her kitchen in London, giving the skills and techniques to students wanting to cook Japanese food at home.
Growing up in the idyllic mountains close to Mount Fuji, Yuki’s earliest memories of food are home-grown, organic produce cooked by her mother. Her love of food, was born out of the contrast of this lovingly made home cooking and the wild buzz of the boom-time eighties, in nearby Tokyo. From an early age she was awakened to the possibilities of Japanese cuisine, at once vibrant, inspiring and effortlessly healthy.
Studying classical music took Yuki to Chicago at the age of 19, but she was soon lured away to Le Cordon Bleu where she channeled her love of food into training as a chef. The fiery heat of downtown Chicago’s kitchens provided her first taste of life as a professional chef, with late nights spent honing her skills alongside her Mexican co-workers. Freshly made ceviche was washed down by tequila shots. Knives were thrown.
Years of developing Asian and fusion dishes encouraged Yuki to explore her own food heritage further. Returning to Japan, she focused on technique under the wing of a master Soba noodle chef and planned menus for some of the best local restaurants. By revisiting traditional Japanese methods after her classical European training, Yuki was able to experience her heritage from an entirely new perspective.
Moving to England in 2005, Yuki created new recipes and designed menus at Japanese restaurants across Central London where she was struck by the increasing popularity of her native cuisine with Londoners and visitors from all over the world. Despite their love of Japanese food, she discovered that many felt intimidated by the skills needed to make it themselves at home. Determined to break down these misconceptions, she decided to become a teacher and with that, Yuki’s Kitchen was born.
Alongside regular classes at her home in South London, Yuki offers courses and private lessons at special events around the world and colleges such as the prestigious Leiths School of Food and Wine. Working with produce grown locally in the UK, such as seaweed and wasabi, Yuki’s classes teach Japanese cooking techniques that transform these readily available ingredients into simple, healthy, flavoursome dishes, designed to be enjoyed by all. Echoing this simplicity, many of her tools are borrowed from everyday life: you’ll soon learn that a hairdryer is perfect for cooling sushi rice or that Katsuo dashi (Japanese fish stock) can be made using a cafetiere – no expensive equipment needed.
One of Yuki’s most popular classes is her miso workshop. Harnessing umami, the fifth flavour of Japanese cooking, students are led through the ancient process of making miso and then take it home to ferment for a year. Far more gentle than shop-bought miso, this homemade version has much less sodium and a rounded flavour – well worth the wait!
As well as introducing new audiences to her native cuisine and culture through teaching, Yuki has published a book Sushi at Home (Penguin), now also available in Italian, Sushi a Casa Mia (Newton & Compton). Committed to exploring the culture of food in weird and wonderful ways, Yuki was one of a selection of noted chefs invited to collaborate on a unique fragrance for luxury perfumery Illuminum. Exclusively available at Selfridges, Yuki’s scent is an evocative blend of osmanthus flowers, tangerine, green tea and vetiver, inspired by the sunny afternoons of her childhood.
Having featured in Vogue, The Guardian, Stylist, The Telegraph and BBC Good Food, Yuki has been interviewed and consulted widely as an expert on Japanese cuisine, most recently appearing on The Food Channel as part of a series on the joy of preparing family dinners.