Keiko Sato, 34, studied at Le Cordon Bleu 2000-01, completing the three-part Classic Cycle. She now runs her own cooking studio in Shirokanedai, Tokyo.

"I used to be a company worker, but then I moved to New York and got married. I saw how, in the United States, many women have jobs or skills -- they aren't simply "homemakers" as is traditional in Japan. So I decided to study something and I chose cooking. When my husband was transferred to Tokyo, I joined the Cordon Bleu course here and taught Japanese cooking part time.

"Le Cordon Bleu was a wonderful experience -- though the classes were very strict. One thing that Japanese students find difficult is learning to season dishes. I was born in Kanto, and Kanto cooking traditionally uses stronger flavors so it wasn't too problematic. My classmates from Kansai, though, found it so hard to judge the flavor.

"When I completed the course, I opened my own cooking salon. Although I'd started out teaching Japanese cooking, I much prefer teaching French cuisine now -- its way of presentation is so beautiful and it appeals to me in the same way that Japanese kaiseki (formal cooking) does.

"There are challenges in trying to teach classic French cooking. I often have to adapt or modernize recipes to fit available ingredients, but I also love trying to reproduce things I've eaten in restaurants.

"I have about 20 students now, with no more than six to a class. My husband and I are moving back to New York in December and I hope to keep on teaching there."