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    Chef

    Mitsunobu Nagae

    Discipline
    Chef
    Portrait of Mitsunobu Nagae

    Portrait of Mitsunobu Nagae

    i. Biography

    Coming Up

    At Lyon’s Tsuji Culinary Institute, Mitsunobu Nagae took the technical base that later carried through a run of exacting kitchens in France, Tokyo, Paris, and New York. The sequence matters here: chef at Régis et Jacques Marcon, chef at Le Doyen, chef at Château Restaurant Joël Robuchon in Tokyo, chef at Etc in Paris, chef at L’Osier in Tokyo, and chef at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon in New York. The line reads as disciplined progression, with refinement built through repetition across different rooms and markets. By 2019, Mitsunobu Nagae had moved into the Head Chef role at Shun. Since 2022, he has been owner / Executive Chef of l’abeille.

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    Where They Are Now

    Ownership and kitchen leadership are aligned in the current role: Mitsunobu Nagae runs l’abeille and leads its kitchen. The career path behind that position is explicit rather than decorative. Training in Lyon, French kitchens, Robuchon-linked posts in Tokyo and New York, corporate Executive Chef work with Kuma Hospitality Group, and then ownership in Manhattan all sit on the record as a straight professional line.

    In Their Words “Béchamel sauce was the first French cuisine I tried making!” “Cooking started growing on me and I started experimenting with different cuisines.”

    ii

    FAQ

    Asked of Mitsunobu

    • What is Mitsunobu Nagae's current role?

      As of 2026, Mitsunobu Nagae is Owner/Executive Chef.

    • Where did Mitsunobu Nagae train or study?

      Mitsunobu Nagae trained at Lyon’s Tsuji Culinary Institute.

    The Sunday email

    Read about chefs like Mitsunobu Nagae in the Sunday email.

    Every Sunday we send a lead story and up to four more about the chefs, winemakers, sommeliers and hoteliers behind the restaurants, bars, wineries and hotels we cover.

    See a sample of the Sunday email

    Free. One email a week, and you can unsubscribe from any issue.