Tracy Matsue Loeffelholz grew up yonsei: fourth-generation Hawaiian Japanese. In the melting-pot food culture of Hawaii, she learned about the power of food to hold traditions yet also embrace a wider community. She is a passionate student of washoku — the ancient foodways of Japan— and the unique ways it shows up in modern nikkei kitchens. She learned to make sushi from her great grandmother, and manju and haupia from her great aunts, and tamagoyaki from her mother. She would like her children to feel a strong connection to their heritiage, so she started an Instagram account (@ingredientscount) in which she speaks directly to them about washoku food culture. They might not have paid attention growing up, but she knows they’ll watch her reels!

Tracy lives on Bainbridge Island, where she grows food in all seasons. She’s a recipe developer for Providence Heart Institute, and founder of Bainbridge Island Miso, and has certificates from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and Harvard’s CHEF culinary coaching program.