Meeting in Montmartre with Chizuko Kimura, the first Michelin-starred sushi master
In 2025, Chizuko Kimura became the first female sushi chef to receive a Michelin star in the 250-year-old Michelin Guide with her Parisian microrestaurant. She tells the Japanese daily newspaper “Asahi Shimbun” how she threw herself into cooking to fulfill the wishes of her husband, who died of cancer three years ago.
On a quiet street in Montmartre, Sushi Shunei, a small restaurant with nine counter seats, fills up every day from the moment it opens at 7 p.m. Dressed in a white jacket, Chizuko Kimura waits behind the tsukeba [sushi counter] for customers who come to taste authentic edomae sushi [a style of sushi invented two centuries ago in Edo, the present-day city of Tokyo].
At the end of March, the Michelin Guide France 2025 awarded the establishment a star. “ The sensory journey is guaranteed thanks to the dexterity in making the nigiri, the use of superb fish prepared in different forms, and the subtle seasonings,” the guide enthusiastically states. Chizuko Kimura thus became the first woman to be awarded a star as a sushi master in any country, including Japan.
The restaurant was opened by Shunei Kimura, the man she married in 2005. He was fascinated by France and settled there in the 1980s. After learning to cook in several restaurants and training as a sushi chef, he decided to go out on his own in 2020 to realize his dream: to open an Edomae-style sushi restaurant in Paris bearing his name. The opening of Sushi Shunei, delayed due to the pandemic, took place in 2021.
The following year, the establishment received a Michelin star. Chizuko Kimura, passionate about religions, arts, and cultures from around the world, worked as a tour guide for many years. When Sushi Shunei opened, the health crisis interrupted her business, but she intended to resume it. However, she soon devoted herself entirely to the restaurant to support her husband—he had been suffering from liver cancer since 2015.
Shunei needed help every day, but he continued to work without speaking about his illness to those around him. When the effects of his treatment prevented him from moving his hands freely, Chizuko even cut fish under his supervision. “ Don't worry, I'll recover,” he assured her. She believed him, but in June 2022, he took his last breath at the age of 65, about three months after earning his star.
Chizuko promised him she would take over the restaurant. Even when he was sick, Shunei was always cheerful—even when he searched the internet for “life expectancy of people with cancer.” Despite his worries, which he kept secret even from his family, he continued to work until his physical strength was exhausted. Moved by her husband's determination, Chizuko decided to keep the restaurant going, no matter the difficulties.
She worked at the restaurant with the help of Shunei's friends and trained at other restaurants on her days off. Her technical skills—preparing fish, cooking rice, making sushi—improved daily. In 2023, however, the restaurant lost its star. Despite the disappointment, she continued her efforts.
About two years later, at the end of March, the Michelin Guide 2025 ceremony was held in Metz. Chizuko Kimura was present. “ I finally got Shunei's star back, now we can go again,” she thought as she took the stage to hear the award. She also felt a deep sense of gratitude for the staff she worked with to run the restaurant.
Behind the tsukeba , she feels as if Shunei is still with her. Since learning the art of sushi has no end, she must continue her efforts. But the most painful period—when she assisted her weakening husband—is behind her.
After the Michelin Guide was published, a British couple who used to frequent the restaurant returned for the first time after Shunei's death. “ It's your turn now. We're with you. ” The words of these former regulars gave her courage. On June 9, Sushi Shunei celebrated its fourth anniversary. Chizuko Kimura's next goal is to surpass her husband: “ I'm sure Shunei would be happy about that .”
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