Meet Yuki

“What does ‘healthy food’ mean? Food that is easily accessible, has a delicious taste, made with local ingredients, and can be shared with everyone.”

Before immigrating to Canada, Yuki Furuichi worked as a registered dietitian in Japan and studied traditional Japanese holistic food culture and the science of nutrition. She furthered her studies when she found her home in Victoria, BC, studying herbal medicine at Pacific Rim College, and Chinese clinical food theory by remote learning.

The origin of her passion for nutrition began when, as a teenager, Yuki's grandfather was admitted to the hospital for an extended period. During his hospitalization, his discomfort was magnified because he began to miss his favourite comfort foods, the meticulous efforts - intrinsic to Japanese food culture - to prepare and present his favourite meals, and most of all, the ritual of sharing the experience with his family. Yuki recognized at an early age how vital our relationship with food is, and how food contributes to our relationships. Food is not only intended for sustenance but is needed for connection.

Since 2006 Yuki has made food, nutrition, and cooking her life's work and her personal passion. Though her Japanese dietitian credentials did not directly transfer when she immigrated to Canada, her experience and expertise paved every step of her career path in the food industry. She loves to experiment in her own kitchen too. From Western home-cooking to high-end Japanese cuisine, Yuki quite literally devours new knowledge and methodologies. Every opportunity she has to travel, she savours every moment to try new and exciting dishes from street food to fancy restaurants, to take cooking classes, and to scour local markets for fascinating ingredients. She wants to "taste life" with all her senses.

Yuki committed to a career in nutrition because she believes that mindful, healthy eating of whole foods and medicinal herbs is the root of wellness, that food is medicine. Yuki currently puts her passion, experience, and education to work, creating recipes and cooking wholesome foods for seniors. She founded Suribachi Herbal so that she could share her nutritional culinary wisdom with a wider audience. She believes that everyone should have access to delicious, nutritious foods that both do good and taste good.