i. Biography
Before the Executive Chef role at ¡Toma! In Liège, Belgium, the work in Shun Shiroma’s hands had already been tested across several kitchens and markets. Sushi gave the first discipline: repetition, touch, rice, fish, timing. Ramen added another register of Japanese cookery. The later moves through Japan, Jamaica, the United States, Dubai and Belgium put those foundations in front of different guests and operating demands, with Japanese cuisine remaining the reference point.
The Path
Sushi training at a local restaurant in Tokyo, Japan, gave Shun Shiroma an early station-based education. He has said he was very young then, around 16 years old, and more driven by music than by making sushi. Even so, the counter set the terms of the craft: seasoned and cooled rice, careful fish handling, and service-by-service refinement under pressure. Japanese technique in another food culture became part of the work at The East Japanese Restaurant in Kingston, Jamaica, where Shun Shiroma continued as sushi chef. The same base skills had to read in a different room, for different guests, with different expectations. The later corporate chef role at Tsuta Tokyo Restaurant widened the job from individual execution to standards, systems and consistency across a broader operation. Operational Japanese cookery in the United States was further developed in the head operational chef role at W&E Hospitality in United States (2019–2021), where Shun Shiroma worked inside another dining landscape. The Executive Chef position at 3Fils in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, placed that experience in a high-energy international restaurant setting. The current post is Executive Chef of ¡Toma!.
The Work Today
The kitchen at ¡Toma! In Liège, Belgium, works in the field of Japanese cuisine, sushi and ramen, with Shun Shiroma serving as Executive Chef. The stated specialties are traditional and unconventional sushi and ramen making. That range asks for control at both ends: the restraint and exactness of classic sushi, the latitude of less conventional forms, and the structure and comfort expected from ramen. Premium Asian fare heavily influenced by Japanese cuisine is the current frame, built with selectively sourced ingredients imported weekly from Japan. That supply line keeps the Belgian dining room connected to the Japanese pantry and gives Shun Shiroma access to flavors and textures central to his cooking. The work gathers the early sushi station, ramen discipline, international operations and Japanese sourcing into one service context. In Liège, Shun Shiroma works from that set of constraints, with Japanese cuisine as the center of gravity.
In Their Words “I first started working as a sushi chef in a local restaurant in Tokyo, Japan. I was very young at that time, maybe around 16 years old, and I was driven by the love of music more than making sushi.” “I was enjoying making sushi and educating everyone about it. I even moved around the US to understand better the food culture and how I can incorporate Japanese cuisine there.”
Acclaim
Recognition for this body of restaurant work includes Michelin star for ¡Toma! (2024) and 3Fils named best restaurant in the Middle East and North Africa region.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Shun
What is Shun Shiroma's current role?
Shun Shiroma is Executive Chef.
Where did Shun Shiroma work before?
Earlier in their career, Shun Shiroma worked at Local restaurant, The East Japanese Restaurant, and Tsuta Tokyo Restaurant.
What recognition has Shun Shiroma received?
Michelin star for ¡Toma! (2024).
