Shinji Ishida

The Climb

Traditional Japanese restaurant training in Tokushima, Japan, beginning in 1996, set the base of Shinji Ishida’s practice. Those years formed the core habits that traditional cuisine asks for: seasonal awareness, repetition, and precision in prep. In Tokyo, Japan, the work tightened further when he served as Head Chef at Ginza Koju in 2011–2013. The role reinforced the discipline already present in the craft and carried that composure into his style. That same approach then moved abroad with him to Ginza Koju (international outpost) in Paris, France, from 2013–2015. The shift points to a career built through steady accumulation rather than display, with technique refined in kitchens that required consistency and clear execution. In 2016, he became chef at Nogizaka Shin in Tokyo, Japan, extending a voice still rooted in Japanese tradition but expressed with calm confidence. Today, Shinji is chef of LA BONNE TABLE.

Today

At LA BONNE TABLE, Ishida’s signature work is *Farm to Table*, a colorful vegetable amuse-bouche prepared using multiple techniques. The dish frames produce as the center of the kitchen: bright, attentive, and shaped so each element can show itself while still reading as one composition. Ishida frames the philosophy simply: “Always focusing on the main ingredient that makes people easy to understand what I cook.” The line matches the work. The ingredient is allowed to lead, with technique used to clarify rather than cover.

Signature

Shinji's signature dishes include Farm to Table and Owan. Together, they point to a cook working across two registers of Japanese dining: one centered on freshness and visible technique, the other on restraint and depth. One is a colorful vegetable amuse-bouche; the other sits in a more contemplative mode.

In Their Words “It is very good. It is also important mission to us as well. We really need to encourage this.” “Always focusing on the main ingredient that makes people easy to understand what I cook.”