Meet THE TEAM
Mayumi Uejima-Carr serves as the Project Leader. She became the President of TABLE FOR TWO USA following work with Accenture and Eli Lilly pharmaceutical company and earning an MBA from Thunderbird. With TFT, she has developed a program to provide healthier school meals for children in the U.S. In doing so, she realized the need for a more structured food education program. She is a delegate to the US-Japan Leadership Program (2017-18).
Debra Samuels leads the program content and curriculum development. She is a food writer and contributor to the Food Section of The Boston Globe and has authored two cookbooks: “My Japanese Table,” and “The Korean Table.” She lived in Japan for 12 years cumulatively and specializes in Japanese cuisine. Currently she travels around the country teaching hands on workshops on bento, the Japanese lunchbox.
Merry White serves as an academic consultant for the program content and curriculum development. She is Professor of Anthropology at Boston University, specializing in food anthropology in Japan. Her most recent work, Coffee Life in Japan, has won several book prizes and she is the recipient of The Order of the Rising Sun, an Imperial award given by the Government of Japan. Currently she is studying food workers and their tools in Japan.
Sanae Uchinaka manages marketing, communication design, and event planning. She engaged in multiple industries, including graphic & web design, restaurants, and mass media. Her cross-cultural experience, having lived in seven countries in Asia, Europe, and America, nurtured her foundation working in a diversified environment, addressing multi-cultural thoughts. She received an MSc in Digital Marketing from Northumbria University in the UK.
Miwako Felix is engaged in partnership management and development. She spent about 20 years in the financial information industry in New York and Tokyo, mainly being responsible for account management for institutional clients. She is deeply appreciative about how food can simply bring happiness and peaceful minds to people, especially when it's shared with others. She received B.A. from Keio University in Japan, and M. Ed from University of Massachusetts-Amherst.
Amy Fuentes handles communications, marketing, and public relations initiatives. She previously worked for the Consulate-General of Japan in Chicago, for an international executive search partnership organization and has worked as a freelancer on various projects. She has a M.A. from Indiana University in East Asian Studies. She aspires to one day open a café that offers wholesome “cute” Japanese inspired latte art, pastries, and healthy bento boxes to lift spiritsandnourish bodies
Christy Hirokawa liaises with our generous supporters. She spent the first decade of her career with Japan-based organizations including Japan Foundation, Peace Boat, and the JET Program. Following that she worked at Harvard Business School. Her appreciation of healthy food developed in Japan where she enjoyed nutritious school lunches with students in Aomori. Christy holds an MA from New York University and a BA from the University of Washington.
The Advisors
Masa Kogure
Co-Founder of TABLE FOR TWO International
Koji Otani
Japanese language teacher at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Katsura Omori
Professor at Yamagata University, Japan
Chef Andy Matsuda
Owner of the “Sushi Chef Institute” in Torrance, CA
Nazumi Takeda
Education Consultant
The Instructors
Joshua Evan Schlachet
Takako Taniwaki
Yumiko Ebina
Yumi Komatsudaira
Hiroko Deegan
Yoko Saito
Kana Koide
Yoko Ho
Seiko Nishida
Noriko Imura
The Collaborators
Chie Abe is a nutritionist and a food specialist with an MA in Nutrition and Food Science from Tokushima University with certification from the Japan Food Coordinator School. Before moving to Boston, Chie worked as an editor for the renowned cooking magazine “Eiyo to Ryori (Nutrition and Cooking)” and has collaborated with numerous food specialists. She has contributed to multiple food and nutrition related publications as both as an editor and a writer.
Daiei Onoguchi is a graduate of American University in D.C., Daiei is an award-winning producer/filmmaker from Tokyo. From operating film equipment to editing, graphic design, and sound mixing, Daiei has applied his expansive technical expertise to projects from Brazil, America, Venezuela, China, and Japan. His recent work was awarded the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Award in February 2018 for Best Documentary Short. Daiei leads designing storyboards and filming Wa-Shokuiku online program.
Torie Silverstone is a registered dietitian and certified specialist in pediatric nutrition. She has a M.S. in nutrition and food science, clinical experience at Children’s Hospital Colorado, and owns a nutrition private practice. She has a passion for nutrition education to encourage healthy habits starting from a young age.