An up-and-coming chef from India who has worked in some of the world's most famous restaurants.

Mr. Tejas Sovani studied at "noma" in Copenhagen and has worked as a sous executive chef at luxury hotels "The Oberoi" and "AMAN" in India. With the flexible sensibility and solid skills accumulated at restaurants around the world, he freely uses spices to create delicate and original dishes. He pursues elegant, gastronomic modern Indian cuisine out of an extraordinary passion for cooking, where he says, "Established concepts create nothing."

Pursuing deliciousness that combines the new appeal of Yakiniku with tradition.

Mr. Yuji Baba was born in 1985 in Saitama. During his school years, he worked part-time in a restaurant, which satisfied and enthused him. He then entered the restaurant industry. In 2010, he founded Dining Kitchen Co. and developed a restaurant business related to Italian and Western food, his area of expertise. With the know-how he has cultivated over ten years in Italian cuisine and three years in the yakiniku industry, he opened Yakiniku Kokon in 2024 as the representative director.

The journey into cooking began with an interest in various industries.

Mr. Ono was born in 1999 in Hyogo. The inspiration to work in the food industry came from a desire, during his time at an agricultural high school, to experience the entire process from production to processing and sales, known as the sixth industrialization. After graduating from culinary school, he spent a year in vegetable production and processing in Tsuruoka City, Yamagata, which UNESCO recognized as a Creative City of Gastronomy. He then worked at a French restaurant in Tokyo before joining his current company. He left the company temporarily to help his mentor, a chef, with the opening of a restaurant in France and then returned to Japan. He is currently active at APA Hotel & Resort Tokyo Bay Shiomi.

Grew up watching his father's back, Mr. Kobayashi also decided to pursue a career in food. 

He was born in 1979 in Niigata. He became familiar with cooking from an early age because of his father's influence. After moving to Tokyo with his father, who worked there, he began pursuing his culinary career earnestly. In Tokyo, he trained at several Kaiseki restaurants for several years and honed his skills. While respecting traditional techniques, he always incorporates new ideas to provide dishes that surprise and impress his guests. As head chef at Hassan since 2021, he creates dishes that bring out the best in the ingredients.

 

Mr. Iwasaki was born on January 1, 1984 in Ishikawa. After graduating from high school, he started his life as a chef at Yamashiro Onsen Ryokan in Kaga, Ishikawa. Then, he worked at the Japanese restaurant "Shibazakura" in Prince Hotel Park Tower Tokyo. During his time there, he won first place twice in the Japanese cuisine category of a cooking competition in which chefs from Prince Hotels nationwide competed for the best chefs. After working at several Japanese restaurants, he opened Kappo Ichika in July 2015. He is pursuing dishes that will surprise and impress his guests.

The dream has come true, but Mr. Takachio still has feelings from back then.

He was born in 1976 in Tokyo. It was cooking manga that he read in elementary school that inspired his yearning to become a chef. His dream remained the same throughout high school, and he went on to a culinary school. After graduation, he gained experience in several restaurants before joining his current company. Moved to the U.S. for about a month to prepare for the opening of Peter Luger Steakhouse Tokyo in Japan. Learned about Peter Luger's steaks at the original restaurant in Brooklyn. In 2021, the restaurant opened in Ebisu. He's been grilling steaks in his kitchen since then.

A "Meat Master" uses various approaches to convey the deliciousness of meat.

Mr. Yamase was born in 1967 in Kumamoto. He grew up watching his parents running a ranch and started his own food wholesale company. After meeting the current owner through a mutual acquaintance, he was involved in establishing Waniku 89BAL, the predecessor of Niku Ebisu 89BAL, in 2015. Currently, he is also a chef and is active in many fields as a meat professional to spread the deliciousness of carefully selected meat from all over the country, including Kikuchi Beef, raised at his parent's ranch.

Influenced by his father, a chef, Mr. Cuomo aspired to become a chef at 11.

Mr. Cuomo was born in Naples, Italy. Influenced by his father, a chef, he aspired to become a chef at 11 and apprenticed at his uncle's restaurant. Since then, he traveled back and forth between Japan and Italy and continued his training. He is credited as a pioneer who made "Napoli Pizza" famous in Japan. In terms of cuisine, he always aims to be the only one, not the number one. He serves as the grand chef of the "Italian" cuisine at the XEX brand to spread its flavor not only in Japan but also to the world every day.

Offering culinary experience brought by up-and-coming chefs in a variety of genres.

Mr. Taira honed his skills at famous Italian restaurants such as Acqua and Takubo and starred restaurants in Italy. Using ingredients selected from all over Japan, he transforms them into his own creative Italian cuisine, which fascinates his guests. KABEAT has five chefs who are experts in Italian cuisine, American cuisine, French cuisine, Japanese cuisine, and desserts, and they create and serve menus that make the most of the ingredients. Their menu, which combines their unique style with a sense of the season, will bring a fresh color to any occasion's dining experience.

The next-generation global culinary leader who creates each dish with a passion for the ingredients.

The next-generation global culinary leader who creates each dish with a passion for the ingredients. Fascinated by the meticulous and delicate cooking techniques and the history of French cuisine, he moved to France. He studied and honed his skills in restaurants in Burgundy and Provence.  After returning to Japan, he worked at several French restaurants before joining TRUNK HOTEL. In 2023, he became the chef of TRUNK (KITCHEN). With French techniques at his core, he offers dishes full of surprises and appealing dishes adapted to the diversity of today's circumstances.

The only one taste in the world developed by his own sense and skill.

He was born in 1970 in Hiroshima prefecture. Though he worked for a department store after graduating from university, he quit the job because he always desired to create something by himself, and his strong will brought him to [Enraku], a renowned restaurant in Shimbashi run by his uncle to learn the fundamentals of pork cutlet. After accumulating the experience for deep-fried skewers and kappo cuisine (Japanese style cooking) in the 11-year training, he opened [Narikura] in 2010 in Takadanobaba. Based on the pork cutlet of [Enraku], he has been modified the recipe little by little to reach [what he wants to eat].Upon closing the restaurant in March, 2019, he succeeded the restaurant to his apprentice having the same restaurant name but written in Hiragana. Same year in July, he reopened the restaurant in Minami-Asagaya and the renowned restaurant is always full of people.

He was fascinated by the idea of working with Japanese cuisine

During his time as a student at culinary college, an older student took him to a Japanese restaurant and showed him what it was like to be a head chef there. He immediately became fascinated by the beautiful work that chefs of Japanese cuisine do. He began working in this area because he wanted to become a teacher of Japanese chefs.

Becoming the forefront of French cuisine showing his identity in Asakusa, the hometown of the chef.

He was born in 1974 in Tokyo. After graduating from junior high school, he went to a cooking school and had training at restaurants in Tokyo. At the age of 24, he went to France to work for restaurants with the stars such as [Auberge de Cimes] in Paris and [Auberge La Feniere] in Southern France. After coming back to Japan, he worked at Tsukiji Fish Market for 1 year to save money, then opened [HOMMAGE] at the age of only 26. He is currently offering original French dishes that can be created only in Tokyo, in his hometown Asakusa.

"Master of Aged Sushi" celebrated for patiently facing ingredients and accumulating experiments

Born in 1971 in Tokyo, Kimura Koji was born as a third generation of his family-business sushi restaurant. After having trained in his grandfather's restaurant and his uncle's, he entered the well-known tempura restaurant [Mikasa] just before opening his restaurant. As a result, this experience contributed greatly to his aged sushi, learning how to prepare ingredients without using water. Kimura established [Sushi Kimura] when he was 33 years old. Accumulating experiments for a long time, he invented a new genre of sushi,"Aged Sushi." After Michelin Guide 2013, [Sushi Kimura] has obtained two stars for 5 years straight.

Mr. Kaneko became familiar with cooking while growing up with a grandmother who was a home economics teacher.

He led the "Azabudai Series" to receive one Michelin star for three consecutive years. He was born in 1988. He honed his skills at Heichinro, Japan's oldest established restaurant, and at SENSE, the Michelin-starred restaurant in Mandarin Oriental Tokyo. The restaurant offers a multi-course meal featuring a variety of small dishes that blend traditional Cantonese cuisine with spices from various Asian countries that the chef learned during his overseas training, paired with wines recommended by the chef, who is also a certified sommelier. He was appointed the head chef of "Series the sky", the second restaurant in the Series.

Mr. Konuma is an experienced chef who has brought joy to many people.

He was born in 1964 in Tokyo. After working as a chef at Hotel New Otani for four years, he served at the renowned French restaurant KM for another four years. Then, he joined the Shin Takanawa Prince Hotel (now the Grand Prince Hotel Shin Takanawa) and spent 20 years there as a chef. After that, he joined the current company to pursue new challenges. He now serves as the head chef at Teppanyaki THE Nanami in the APA Hotel & Resort Ryogoku Eki Tower. He has brought joy to many guests.

A young chef leading a new style of oden restaurant.

Mr. Kobayashi was born in 2002 in Fujimino-shi, Saitama. He graduated from culinary school and honed his skills through experiences in Italian and Japanese cuisine. Since February 2024, he has been the chef at Toyosu Kinpura, bringing vitality to the restaurant. With a desire to offer oden to visitors from overseas as well, he welcomes guests with meticulous preparation every day. His sincerity shines through in both the dishes he serves and his approach to customer service. He welcomes guests every day with careful preparation as he wants "visitors from overseas to enjoy Oden as widely as possible." His sincerity shines through in both the dishes he serves and his approach to customer service. This young chef's honesty is reflected in the cooking he serves and the service he provides to customers.

A Tempura and Sushi master offers a new impression through skills accumulated from the age of 16.

Mr. Murata was born in 1982 in Shizuoka. Raised in a family of sushi chefs, he began his apprenticeship at the age of 16 at his family's. At a Michelin two-star tempura restaurant, he learned the essentials of tempura by watching and learning directly from the master next to the main counter. After that, he thoroughly mastered fish preparation and aging skills at a one-star sushi restaurant. Seeking to explore a different angle from tempura, he honed his unique sensibility in the world of sushi. His dishes are the result of his broad experience and deep inquisitiveness, reflecting his respect for the ingredients and his mastery of cooking.

With an experience in a Michelin-listed restaurant, Mr. KOH continues to express New York culture.

He was born in 1977 in Tokyo. Though he worked in the construction industry for years, he changed jobs when he was invited to assist at a newly opened Japanese BBQ restaurant. He wanted to put his all into studying to be the best in the industry, so in 2011 he went to New York by himself. Soon after coming to the United States, he worked at a Japanese BBQ restaurant on Michelin. He studied hard there for 5 years and even became a sous chef. In 2017, after returning to Japan, he opened the beef by KOH, a Japanese BBQ restaurant that offers a taste of New York culture.

Mr. Oyama warmly welcomes guests and offers sincere hospitality.

Mr. Oyama was born in 1982 in Osaka. When he visited a bar, he felt the pleasure of serving customers, and he entered the restaurant industry at 24. Starting in hotels and lounge bars, he worked and got experience in various genres, including an Italian restaurant, oyster bar, izakaya (Japanese-style pub), ramen shop, and game meat cuisine restaurant. After joining Ginza Cobau, he provides guest-oriented service with the pride and satisfaction of an upscale restaurant.