“much more than a cooking class” (superdeluxe from Paris, France)
YUCa puts together a great cooking class in her home but the experience is much more than learning to cook a few Japanese dishes because she has an intense passion for sharing the culture of Japan with her guests.
I chose the class initially in part because of the shopping trip for ingredients beforehand. I have been to Japan many times but always find supermarkets bewildering because of my lack of Japanese language skills. We started out in the market and she identified all the ingredients we had to buy but also pointed out many other interesting items in the store, telling stories, for example, about all the different kinds of noodles and soy sauces (which I would not have been able to differentiate otherwise). After the class, armed with knowledge, I returned to the store and bought many things to bring back to friends as gifts.
The class was intimate, interactive and hands-on, taking place in her Tokyo home. It is not a show class. YUCa speaks absolutely excellent English and has lived abroad, so it’s a comfortable experience for foreigners. We made some delicious dishes (see photos) and then ate them together. Perfect.
Since we took the class, YUCa continued to engage us in cultural exchange, sending occasional recipes, telling stories of seasonal dishes and Japanese holidays and festivals in her newsletter. She also has an active YouTube channel. All of this is to say that once you join YUCa’s class you are invited to continue to engage in Japan’s unique culture and learn more. It’s obviously not just a way to make some money, it is a passion for her, to share her culture. This is what makes it special.
“Empowering and Inspirational!” (brigittewoo from Singapore)
I took the Bento cooking class, it was amazing. Yuca was so patient in teaching my friend & I how to cook japanese side dishes. You have to understanding, I have almost no cooking experience or even prior interest to cook. I went for this bento class as a time of bonding with my friend (who really wanted to learn japanese cooking). I was so inspired after the class. Yuca made cooking japanese dishes so simple and fun! I’ll definitely practise what Yuca taught us in Singapore!
The location was convenient, just a 15 min walk from Tabata station. But she was very kind, she met us at the station and paid for the taxi ride (5 min) to her place. She’s such a sweet lady. Her english is very good! She even has some of her unique recipes featured in a bilingual magazine (JPy magazine) published in Los Angeles! Formidable lady 🙂 So you’ll be in great hands!
“Clarification to Earlier Post “Great Experience” (jkmdds2017 from Hawaii, USA)
