Chef
Hideaki Sato
Executive Chef & Proprietor, Ta Vie
- Discipline
- Chef
- Based in
- Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- Venue
- Ta Vie · Restaurant
Known for
- Franco-Japanese fusion cuisine blending French techniques with Asian ingredients[1]
- Founder and executive chef of three-Michelin-starred Ta Vie in Hong Kong[1][2][3]
- Culinary philosophy centered on 'pure, simple and seasonal' approach[3]
- First overseas chef invited to lead La Table des Chefs in Reims, France (2025)[4]
i. Biography
At Ta Vie, French-Japanese cooking is framed by the working discipline of Pure, Simple and Seasonal. “At 19 I began working part-time in the kitchen of a small restaurant that cooked Western-influenced food. I found the job very interesting, making everything from scratch, even the desserts.” Hideaki has said.
The Route
Japanese fine-dining technique entered the work through Nihonryori Ryugin in Tokyo, where Hideaki Sato worked under the tutelage of Seiji Yamamoto, before the Hong Kong chapter at Tenku Ryugin as chef-patron (2012–2015). Ta Vie has been the independent platform since 2015, with Sato as chef and owner.
At Work Now
French-Japanese cuisine at Ta Vie uses French technique alongside Japanese tradition, with Pure, Simple and Seasonal functioning less as a slogan than as a production filter: what is kept, what is removed, and what is allowed to lead the plate. Fermentation and texture are part of the restaurant’s signature vocabulary. Homemade Nukazuke rice-bran-fermented bread is the named work: crusty, airy and full of complex flavours. Chinese cuisine also informed the bench work; during downtime in the 2019 Hong Kong protests, Hideaki Sato experimented with Chinese cuisine, including more than 13 iterations of Peking duck and 50 batches of Cantonese steamed sponge cake.
Signature
Signature dishes include Egg custard with Aori ika squid, Homemade Nukazuke rice-bran-fermented bread, and Peach dessert with blown sugar.
The Record
The recognition record tracks two Hong Kong dining rooms and the progression of Ta Vie: Three MICHELIN stars for Ta Vie in the MICHELIN Guide Hong Kong & Macau 2023 (2023), First MICHELIN star for Ta Vie (2015), and Two MICHELIN stars for Tenku Ryugin in the MICHELIN Guide Hong Kong edition (2012).
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Hideaki
What does Hideaki Sato currently do?
Hideaki Sato is co-owner and chef.
Where did Hideaki Sato work before?
Earlier in their career, Hideaki Sato worked at Nihonryori Ryugin and Tenku Ryugin.
What recognition has Hideaki Sato received?
Three MICHELIN stars for Ta Vie in the MICHELIN Guide Hong Kong & Macau 2023 (2023).
