Reiko Hashimoto

Reiko was born in Kyoto, and grew up in a traditional Japanese family with a food-fanatic mother who has shaped her love of cookery. Based in the foodie’s paradise of Hong Kong, Reiko began exploring international cuisine across the globe while working as an air hostess and soon decided to make a career of it, beginning by introducing Japanese cuisine to her foreign friends living in Japan. Reiko then moved to London and set up Hashi to cater for Japanese dinner parties; as many of her guests began to ask whether she could teach as well, Hashi grew into the authentic Japanese cookery school that it is today. Over the past 13 years, Reiko has set thousands of students on the path to creative and accessible Japanese cooking, coaching a range of talents from raw beginners to Cordon Bleu level chefs. Her experience is marked by her presence in the media, featuring on programmes such as Good Food Live and The Great British Kitchen, working with notable chefs John Torode, Gino D'Acampo and Hardeep Singh Kholi. In 2012, Hashi was named a finalist in the 'People's Choice' category of the British Cookery School Awards, and following the release of her first cookbook, Reiko is now in the process of writing a second.