Hiroki Odo

The Climb

At Kyoto Wakuden, Hiroki Odo learned the discipline that kaiseki asks of a kitchen: control, structure, and attention to placement. That training shows up in the work that followed, where subtlety is carried by form rather than decoration. The craft here is not about accumulation. It is about choosing what belongs, and holding the line on what does not. In 2012, head chef at Kajitsu in New York City, New York, USA, became the point where that training moved into a public-facing role. The kitchen changed location, but not the method: clarity, cadence, and exacting attention remained the terms of the work. For a cook shaped by kaiseki cuisine, the title marked continuity as much as advancement. Since 2018, Hiroki has been chef of Jiva and founder and executive chef and head chef of Odo, carrying the same disciplined approach across each role. The titles are broad, but the throughline is narrow and consistent: kaiseki, restraint, and the steady building of a dining experience that values order, atmosphere, and precision in equal measure.

Today

Kaiseki cuisine still frames Hiroki Odo’s work, and that framework gives the cooking its balance. The point is not display. It is composition: how one element meets the next, how pacing shapes the meal, and how restraint gives the plate its authority. The craft sits in the relationships between details. The dining room matters as part of that composition. “I love utsuwa, interiors, and food––the balance of all the aspects.” The line points to a practice that reads hospitality as a set of connected disciplines, where objects, space, and service sharpen the food rather than sit beside it. In that approach, the room is not background; it is part of the structure.

In Their Words “I love utsuwa, interiors, and food––the balance of all the aspects.” “What we do now will become the foundation for tomorrow.”

Recognition

Hiroki's honors include Two Michelin Stars (2023), Michelin Star (2020), and Michelin Star (2012). Each recognition lands on the same thread of work: consistency, refinement, and a kaiseki sensibility that relies on patient rigor rather than excess.