Chizuko Kimura
Chizuko Kimura | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth year and age Japan |
| Occupation | Sushi chef |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Known for | First female sushi chef to receive a Michelin star |
Chizuko Kimura (born April 1970) is a sushi chef from Japan who operates in Paris. In 2025, she and her establishment, Sushi Shunei, were honored with a Michelin star, making her the first female sushi chef globally to achieve this distinction.
Biography
Kimura was born in Japan in April 1970 to a businessman father and a homemaker mother, spending her early years between Tokyo and the area surrounding Mount Fuji. Prior to entering the culinary world, she worked as a tour guide. After meeting Shunei Kimura in Paris in 2004, the couple married in 2005. They relocated to France in 2008, where Kimura embraced her husband’s vision of launching a sushi restaurant despite lacking any formal cooking background.
On June 9, 2021, Shunei Kimura inaugurated Sushi Shunei, an intimate sushi venue located in Montmartre with seating for eight to nine patrons. When the COVID-19 pandemic caused Chizuko to lose her tour guide position, she began collaborating with her husband, acquiring skills in fish preparation, rice cooking, and managing the business.
Sushi Shunei received its inaugural Michelin star in 2022. Tragically, three months later, Shunei Kimura succumbed to liver cancer. Before his passing, Chizuko vowed to preserve their restaurant’s heritage. Although the Michelin star was lost the following year, this setback spurred her to enhance her expertise through further training, study visits to Japan, and by bringing on sushi master Takeshi Morooka.
In March 2025, both Chizuko Kimura and Sushi Shunei regained a Michelin star. This milestone established her as the first woman to be awarded a Michelin star for sushi in the guide’s 120-year history.