Success Story – Chef Kurina “Nana” Yonezawa  

26 July 2024

Chef Nana is a macrobiotic, plant-based chef who has been teaching Japanese cooking for nearly 40 years. She brings her incredible skills, talent and charisma to ACTAsia’s annual Plant Forward festival.

“My life’s work is to make a better world not only for humans, but for all the creatures on this planet.”

Kurina Yonezawa, affectionately referred to as Chef Nana, stands at the vanguard of macrobiotics and plant-based cooking in Japan.  She lives in the tranquil countryside of Saitama Prefecture, about two hours away from Tokyo, where she teaches macrobiotic-vegan cooking at her home.

 She has been practising a macrobiotic lifestyle for 24 years and teaching macrobiotic, vegan cooking for over 17. “Being vegan and practising a macrobiotic way of life has brought lots of joy and peace into my mind,” says Chef Nana, “I want to share this wonderful philosophy.”

“I felt honoured to work with ACTAsia”

“My life’s work is to make a better world not only for humans, but for all the creatures on this planet.”

Chef Nana has had a large and impressive culinary career. She started teaching Japanese cooking in Singapore nearly forty years ago in 1985 and opened a Japanese restaurant in 1996. Chef Nana adopted veganism after returning to Japan in 2005 and began teaching macrobiotic cooking from her home shortly after. “Anybody can participate! I have classes for kids as well.” 

Through her cooking classes, Chef Nana is committed to sharing the joy of compassionate living. “Macrobiotics affects us on a whole,” she says, “not only our physical bodies, but our feelings, minds and souls.”

Macrobiotics: “We are what we eat”

“Macrobiotics is a way of living in harmony with nature,” explains Chef Nana. This plant-based diet is all about eating locally and seasonally. “Its emphasis is to follow nature. To respect nature.” 

For, as Chef Nana reminds us with her motto, 

We are what we eat. “Whatever we inhale, whatever we consume, makes us.” 

“People are also part of nature.” 

Therefore, it is important to attune to our environment and live as naturally as possible. “Living against nature brings us unfavourable outcomes in various ways.  Our health would be affected, the environment would be destructed, human rights and animal rights could be neglected.” 

Chef Nana’s passion for macrobiotics as a means for conscious, interconnected living speaks perfectly to ACTAsia’s holistic approach to driving long term, sustainable change. Through her work, Chef Nana teaches participants how to live harmoniously through the food they consume. It is this spirit of connecting self to the environment and animals – and showing others how to do the same – which makes Chef Nana such a strong exponent of ACTAsia.

Chef Nana’s collaboration with ACTAsia

Chef Nana’s bubbly personality, extensive knowledge of macrobiotic/plant-based cooking and inspirational passion makes her a highlight in ACTAsia’s annual Plant Forward  festival. Chef Nana has been contributing to the Plant Forward campaign since its inauguration in 2022 and is a highly valued participant. “When I first learned about ACTAsia, I was very impressed,” Chef Nana shares. When ACTAsia partner Animal Rights Center in Japan invited Chef Nana to participate in Plant Forward, she blew audiences away with an engaging, mouthwatering tutorial for tofu steaks.

 “I felt honoured to work with ACTAsia,” she says.

At our second annual Plant Forward Festival, Chef Nana shared an exciting cooking demo that opened whole new ways to think about miso. Chef Nana is back at Plant Forward 2024 by popular demand, and we cannot wait to see what she has in store this year! Her enthusiasm not only for living sustainably and ethically but for sharing her knowledge with others to effect change represents exactly the kind of work ACTAsia aims to do with Plant Forward. 

What is Plant Forward?

ACTAsia wants to help people in Asia understand that the food we eat, the decisions that we make in our daily life, all have an impact on the Earth, its animals, and our own health. With Plant Forward, ACTAsia inspires Asian consumers to explore the benefits of a plant-based sustainable lifestyle. 

Plant Forward is organised by ACTAsia’s Compassionate Choices Network (CCN), a community of nonprofit organisations and social enterprises in Asia. This free festival takes place over two weeks and consists of a range of entertaining and educational events, from cooking demos like Chef Nana’s, to vegan/dairy-free challenges, to seminars from doctors, and so much more. Plant Forward is the first multi-country campaign of its kind, and it continues to grow. This year, we are thrilled to welcome participation from nine countries: China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Philippines, Singapore, Tuvalu and Vietnam! 

“ACTAsia’s emphasis on education is very important,” says Chef Nana. Campaigns like Plant Forward show consumers that a plant-based lifestyle is accessible, attainable and joyful. 

“I always tell people who are inclined to change their diet to plant based: ‘Take time to change, do not try to change drastically,’”

We are working toward sustainability and long-term change.

Powerful initiatives such as Plant Forward with inspirational leaders such as Chef Nana equip consumers with the tools to join the plant-based movement in a meaningful, beneficial way. 

Thank you, Chef Nana for your continued support of ACTAsia’s compassionate vision and we cannot wait to see you at #PlantForward2024!

As we celebrate ACTAsia’s inspirational warriors and the impact of ACTAsia’s remarkable education programmes, we invite you to be part of our compassionate movement. Donate now to continue the momentum!