Other
Chizuko Kimura
Michelin-starred chef
- Discipline
- Other
i. Biography
Born in Japan and Japanese by nationality, Chizuko Kimura brings to Sushi Shunei in Paris, France, a sensibility that feels both exacting and deeply personal. Her story begins not at the counter, but in memory: “I still remember the smell of soy sauce that always filled the kitchen, so familiar and comforting.” Even before she was cooking, the flavors of home had already taken root. “I wasn't cooking yet, but those memories stayed with me — in my nose and on my tongue.” It is a telling detail, one that lingers like steam in the air, and it hints at the quiet force that now shapes her work. Before becoming a sushi chef, she worked as a tour guide in the city, a role that required attention, timing, and an ability to read the mood of a place — qualities that seem to have followed her neatly to the sushi counter.
The Path
Chizuko Kimura began an early career in Paris, first working as a tour guide at Paris. That early chapter, spent moving through the city and helping others understand it, gave her a foundation in observation and flow. Then, from 2021, Kimura moved behind the counter as a sushi chef at Sushi Shunei in Paris, taking on a different kind of guidance: one measured in knife work, timing, and the calm delivery of each piece. Her path has the clean logic of someone who understands form and restraint, building toward a practice defined by precision and poise.
The Work Today
Today she is the sushi chef at Sushi Shunei in Paris, France, where the restaurant’s minimalist, dinner-only Edomae-style sushi unfolds at the counter in a small nine-seat Montmartre setting. The room’s scale matters. With only nine seats, the experience is intimate by design, and the meal becomes less a performance than a closely observed sequence, shaped by the rhythm of the counter and the quiet exchange between chef and diner. In that hushed setting, Kimura’s cooking feels especially attuned to memory and control: the measured choreography of sushi served one seat at a time, the discipline of the style, the clarity of a meal stripped to its essentials. It is a setting that suits a chef whose earliest food memory begins with the scent of soy sauce in a kitchen and extends, years later, into the disciplined precision of her present work.
In Their Words “I still remember the smell of soy sauce that always filled the kitchen, so familiar and comforting.” “I wasn't cooking yet, but those memories stayed with me — in my nose and on my tongue.”
Acclaim
Chizuko's honors include MICHELIN Guide star (2025).
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Chizuko
What is Chizuko Kimura's current role?
As of 2026, Chizuko Kimura is Sushi Chef.
Where did Chizuko Kimura work before?
Chizuko Kimura's earlier career included Paris and Sushi Shunei.
What recognition has Chizuko Kimura received?
MICHELIN Guide star (2025).
