Chizuko Kimura

Chizuko Kimura (born c. 1971) is a Japanese sushi chef based in Paris. In 2025 she and her restaurant Sushi Shunei were awarded a Michelin star. With the award, she became the first female sushi chef in the world to win a Michelin star.

Biography

Chizuko Kimura was working as a tour guide in Paris when her husband decided to open a sushi restaurant.[1] On June 9, 2021, Chizuko Kimura's husband opened Sushi Shunei.[2] During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kimura lost her job as a tour guide and joined her husband in the restaurant where she learned to prepare fish, cook rice and run the business.[3][4] At the time, she had no experience as a chef.[5]

In 2022, their small restaurant Sushi Shunei was awarded a Michelin star.[6][7][8] Three months later, her husband, Sushi Shunei's head chef Shunei Kimura died of cancer.[3][9] Before his death, Chizuko Kimura promised her husband she would maintain Sushi Shunei's legacy. The restaurant lost its Michelin star the following year.[3] The loss of the Michelin star encouraged Kimura to continue to improve.[10]

In March 2025, Chizuko Kimura and Sushi Shunei were awarded a Michelin star.[3] In earning the award, Chizuko Kimura became the first woman in the 120-year history of the guide to be awarded a Michelin star for sushi.[11]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Sushi Shunei, traditional sushi restaurant in Montmartre". www.sortiraparis.com. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
  2. ^ "Shunei Kimura". France Sushi (in French). 2019-11-30. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
  3. ^ a b c d "Tragic promise drove world's first Michelin-starred woman sushi chef". The Straits Times. 2025-04-22. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
  4. ^ "Chizuko Kimura, première femme cheffe sushi au monde à recevoir une étoile Michelin - Elle à Table". elle.fr (in French). 2025-04-04. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
  5. ^ "L'instant + : Chizuko Kimura, première femme cheffe sushi au monde à recevoir une étoile Michelin". France 24 (in French). 2025-04-10. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
  6. ^ Norimatsu, Minako (2023-10-31). "Sushi Yoshinaga and sake bar Omasake bring Tokyo experiences to Paris". Wallpaper*. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
  7. ^ "41 new restaurants awarded their first Michelin star in 2022". Taste of France. 2022-04-02. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
  8. ^ Mesnards, Fanny Guénon des (2022-03-22). "Sushi Shunei, le nouveau restaurant japonais étoilé à Paris". AD Magazine (in French). Retrieved 2025-05-26.
  9. ^ "Adieu au « Chouchou de Montmartre »". France Sushi (in French). 2022-06-30. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
  10. ^ "Meet the world's first Michelin-starred woman sushi chef". South China Morning Post. 2025-04-19. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
  11. ^ "Chizuko Kimura, première femme cheffe sushi étoilée par le Guide MICHELIN". France Sushi (in French). 2025-03-31. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
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