Julia Momosé

The Path

Cornell University provided the academic base for Julia Momosé’s work, where she studied Design and Environmental Analysis. That training suggests an early discipline around structure and observation, traits that later carried into hospitality. The bar side of the craft took shape at The Aviary (from 2013), where Julia Momosé served as bar chef. The title places technique and invention in the same frame, and it marked the start of a career defined by refinement as much as by expression. She later became head bartender at GreenRiver, a role that further developed the timing, detail, and service rhythm that would remain central to her approach. At Oriole (from 2022), Julia Momosé worked as cocktail creative, extending that same fluency across another part of the trade. Today, as co-owner and beverage director and chef of Kumiko (since 2024), she works across hospitality with a scope that connects drinks, kitchen work, and creative direction into a single operating language.

The Work Today

At Kumiko in Chicago, United States, Julia Momosé holds the combined responsibilities of partner, creative director, executive chef, and beverage creator. Her own description is direct: "I am a partner and creative director of Kumiko. I’m also the executive chef and beverage creator." The terms are plain, but the remit is broad, bringing kitchen work, drinks, service, and creative direction into one practice. What is notable in Julia Momosé’s work is coherence across disciplines. The same exacting attention that supports bar service also shapes the dining room experience, allowing the parts of the operation to read as one whole. At Kumiko, that balance of flavor, atmosphere, and flow is not incidental; it is the work.

Signature

Julia's signature dishes include The Way of the Cocktail: Japanese Tradition, Techniques, Recipes, New Leaf Martini, and Daiquiri.

In Their Words “I aspire to be the best that I can be in all aspects of creating, serving, and being a dishwasher turned cook, bartender, restaurant owner.” “Striving to balance technical skill with inexhaustible creativity and an unremitting hospitality.”

Acclaim

Julia Momosé has received Michelin Guide, James Beard Award — Outstanding Bar (2025). Julia's honors include James Beard Award — Outstanding Bar (2025).