Katsuyo Kobayashi (小林 カツ代, Kobayashi Katsuyo, October 24, 1937 – January 23, 2014) was a Japanese celebrity chef, food writer, and founder/leader of the charity "Kagurazaka Women's Choir". Katsuyo Kobayashi was born in Osaka in 1937. When she got married at the age of 21, she couldn’t cook although she was a homemaker. She started learning how to cook from her mother and neighbors who could cook well. In 1963, initiated by a letter to a TV program, her career as a gourmet scholar started: she got her own TV program at the local television station in Osaka. In 1970, she debuted as an essayist, and published many cookbooks and essays. She appeared on NHK’s cooking programs such as “Kyou no Ryouri (Today’s Dinner)” for the last 26 years and received public attention. She also created househol