Sumi’s profile

Registered Dietitian, Culinary Researcher, Food Education Instructor Born in Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture,.

Influenced by the traditional Buddhist cuisine (Shojin Ryori) prepared at her family’s Zen (Rinzai sect) temple, she majored in food science at university and obtained a registered dietitian qualification.

In Japan, she worked at a nutrition school, where she was involved in training nutritionists and worked on magazines and television contents. She also served as an advisory dietitian for companies, regularly holding cooking classes focused on diabetes, hypertension, and obesity prevention,as well as giving lectures on health maintenance and illness prevention in collaboration with nurses to support the health of employees and their families.

Currently based in Sydney, she works as a food consultant, mainly conducting cooking classes and catering services. In her Japanese classes, she teaches dishes from various countries using local ingredients, while in her classes for Australians, she uses the platform “Class Bento” to offer gluten-free and vegan-focused cooking classes and wagashi (Japanese sweets) workshops every weekend.

In 2022, she published a book titled “Eating with Zen Wisdom”, which is based on Shojin Ryori and features vegan Japanese cuisine. The book has been well received for its explanations of ingredients available locally in Australia, recipes for long-lasting everyday seasonings, with photo
instructions, and insights into the relationship between Zen and food.

Qualification

• Certificate III in Hospitality; Commercial Cookery (TAFE Northern Sydney Institute)
• Chef (Hyogo Nutrition Academy – Japan)
• Registered Administrative Nutritionist (Japan)
• Certified Dietician (Japan)
• Bachelor of Home Economics (Japan)