Hideo was born in Yotsuya, Tokyo and first learned to cook whilst still at school and working in the family restaurants. Here he learned the principles of food preparation, cooking and presentation that had been passed down through the generations of his family. After years of cooking and teaching in Japan, his interests led him to Europe to study classical French cuisine and then on to England, and later the USA where he was able to combine his Japanese and European cuisine skils. Today he has his own catering company in Sydney, Australia and has written several Japanese cookboks.