The Chef Naoko Story: A Journey of Discovery through Food and Healing
A Presentation by Naoko Tamura
In this talk, Chef Naoko Tamura shares her experiences with her food businesses in Japan, and then her move to Portland, where she built a successful organic Japanese restaurant and became known as a leader in Japanese food culture through healthy eating.
After closing her restaurant in 2023, she turned her focus to food as a tool for healing, both in medical institutions and the broader community. Now working full-time at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), she brings her culinary philosophy into the healthcare system, helping improve patient meals and promoting the idea of “food as medicine.”
This lecture invites the audience to rethink the relationship between food and health based upon Naoko’s experiences, from her struggle to survive as an infant through her journey to help others sustain health and facilitate healing.
5:30 PM | Thursday, November 13, 2025
Smith Memorial Student Union Room 327/8/9
Free and Open to the Public
Please use the entrance on SW Broadway