i. Biography
Raphael Fumio Kudaka is Executive Chef of Breizh Café in Paris, a role that places him at the helm of the kitchen in the city where his work now unfolds with quiet authority and accumulated craft. His path to that position reads like a route traced through some of the most exacting addresses in French gastronomy, each stop adding another layer to a disciplined and increasingly assured culinary voice.
The Climb
Early in their career, Raphael worked as trainee in gastronomy and french pastry at Institut culinaire Tsuji in Lyon, where the foundations of technique and precision would have been laid with the kind of rigor that lingers long after training ends. From there, he moved into the rhythms of professional kitchens as Chef de partie at French houses in Tokyo, a step that signals both responsibility and the daily pressure of service, where timing, composition, and consistency must be held together with unwavering focus. The trajectory then turned toward a series of distinguished names that map a chef’s education not only in skill, but in atmosphere and standard. Raphael worked as chef at Prés d'Eugénie (Michel Guérard), a house whose very name suggests refinement and poise; then at Le Petit Nice (Passedat) in Marseille, where the cadence of the Mediterranean would have framed the kitchen’s pace and sensibility. He continued on as chef at La Palme d'Or, Martinez (Christian Willer), moving through another setting where precision and polish are part of the daily language of cooking. His journey also led him north to Annecy, where he served as chef at L'Eridan (Marc Veyrat). Each of these posts added to the shaping of a professional identity built through repetition, high standards, and the quiet discipline required to earn trust at the stove. Over time, the line of progression became unmistakable: trainee, Chef de partie, chef, and ultimately Executive Chef, a rise that reflects not only advancement in title, but the deepening of responsibility across kitchens with very different characters and demands. By the time he reached Executive Chef at Breizh Café, Raphael had already worked within a succession of kitchens that demanded exacting attention and a steady hand. That breadth of experience now gathers into his current role in Paris, where he leads with the perspective of someone who has seen the craft from nearly every angle and absorbed its lessons in cities, houses, and service after service.
Today
In Paris, he holds the Executive Chef role at Breizh Café. The title places him at the head of the kitchen for the venue named in his current work. In practical terms, it marks the culmination of a long progression through some of the most recognizable and demanding stages of French culinary training and practice. It also gives shape to the present tense of his career: not a beginning, but a point of arrival built from years of movement, repetition, and refinement. At Breizh Café, that accumulated experience now converges in a single leadership role, one that carries both the weight of past kitchens and the forward motion of a chef still fully engaged in the work.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Raphael
What is Raphael Fumio Kudaka's current role?
As of 2026, Raphael Fumio Kudaka is Executive Chef.
What recognition has Raphael Fumio Kudaka received?
Michelin star.
