World’s first Michelin-starred woman sushi chef driven by a tragic promise
Chizuko Kimura picked up the reins of her husband’s Paris restaurant Sushi Shunei following his death from cancer and regained his Michelin star
For Shunei, the star was a dream come true. However, the joy was short-lived. He died from cancer just three months later in June 2022, aged 65. The following year, the restaurant in the heart of Montmartre lost its star.
Kimura insisted that the new star is still down to her husband. “If Shunei had never received a star, I wouldn’t have been particularly attached to obtaining one myself,” she said.
“But he was proud that his restaurant was recognised. So this star has become very important to me,” she said in her tiny traditional “sushiya”, which only seats nine.
The Michelin was glowing in its praise, saying a “sensorial journey is guaranteed thanks to the dexterity with which the nigiri are made, the use and working of superb fish and the subtle seasoning”.