First female sushi chef to win Michelin star keeps promise to late husband

Chizuko Kimura honored a promise to her dying husband by taking over Sushi Shunei in Paris and mastering the art of Edomae-style sushi. In March, Kimura, 54, became the first female sushi chef to earn a Michelin star, just three years after her husband’s death.

Vow fulfilled: Sushi Shunei, located in Paris, is known for its traditional omakase or multi-course tasting menu and meticulous attention to detail. Kimura learned every step from her husband Shunei, who opened the restaurant with her in 2021 and taught her the art of Edomae-style sushi while silently battling liver cancer. “He never said to me, ‘Learn how to make sushi,’ but he showed me everything,” Kimura said. After Shunei’s death in 2022, she honored his legacy by stepping into the kitchen, driven by her promise to keep the restaurant alive.

Return of a star: Sushi Shunei earned its first Michelin star in 2022, three months before Shunei died at age 65. Kimura lost the star in 2023, which she described as “losing him a second time.” She deepened her training, working with sushi master Takeshi Morooka and visiting Michelin-starred restaurants in Japan. When the star was awarded again in 2025, Kimura said, “I felt, deep inside, that I had not betrayed his memory. For me, this is not a new star. It’s Shunei’s star that I managed to win back.”

Breaking barriers: Kimura’s accomplishment stands out in Paris’s competitive sushi scene, where traditional Japanese kitchens have long excluded women from senior roles. She leads Sushi Shunei with strict attention to Edomae tradition, overseeing a team that sources fish from Tokyo’s Toyosu Market and prepares an omakase menu of up to 18 courses, including specialties like akami tuna and sea bream nigiri. Kimura now mentors apprentices in her kitchen and hopes her story will encourage others to pursue their ambitions regardless of age or background.