[1] Kumai was born in California to a Japanese mother and Polish-American father.

[5] Later, she trained as a professional chef in Southern California, cooking on the line at several restaurants.

Her approach to cooking is based on her Japanese American heritage.

[5] Kumai has been involved in 1,000 Days, which is an initiative started by Hillary Clinton in 2010 to improve nutrition for mothers and children worldwide.

[10] Kumai is a graduate of California State University, Long Beach where she studied interpersonal and organizational communications.