Meet Yoyo

I’m a humble cook trained in Tokyo. I spent years in corporate audit, but it was food — and the joy it brings people — that pulled me away. Cooking began simply, out of necessity: budget meals in a college dorm, then a tiny Tokyo apartment. When I moved to the U.S. and couldn’t find the authentic Asian flavors I missed, cooking became a pleasure rather than a necessity.

Tabéyōyō started as a food diary on Instagram — nothing more. A few years later I was offered a full-time cooking job for a family. I left a six-figure job and never looked back. Ten months and 300 recipes in, I realized I was just following instructions without understanding the why. So I flew to Tokyo alone to study properly.

At Hattori, I also worked at a sushi restaurant and staged in two French kitchens. That’s where I learned to coax real flavor from simple ingredients, and where discipline became part of how I cook. Now, through Tabéyōyō, I get to be a bridge between the cultures, schedules, and people I’ve come to know.