Portrait of Executive Chef Chihiro Yamazaki

It was in Sapporo that Chihiro was born, in this city nestled between sea and mountains on the island of Hokkaido. She learned to cook from her mother and developed her future passion. From the ages of 16 to 18, in addition to taking cheerleading classes, the future chef learned to cook after school. Seduced by her first steps behind the stove, Chihiro began working in a palace as a commis chef as soon as she finished high school. She helped prepare banquets and learned European and Asian cooking techniques for three years. An opportunity then presented itself to her: to work in a Japanese restaurant in Geneva. Neither one nor two, Chihiro takes off towards Europe. During her experience in Switzerland, the future chef took weekend courses to learn French cuisine and the French language, building her plan to work in a gourmet restaurant in France.

At 22, the project came to fruition and Chihiro settled down in Paris. She knocks on the doors of all the Michelin-starred restaurants. It was the chef of the restaurant Le Bellecour in the 7th arrondissement of Paris who gave him his chance. Chihiro worked for a year in this Lyon restaurant, before working in other semi-gastronomic restaurants where she perfected her French cooking techniques. It was one experience in particular that made him want to develop his knowledge of Japanese cuisine: the Kong restaurant, perched on the rooftops of Paris and a pioneer in promoting Japanese flavors in France. She then joined chef Yann Tanneau's team at the Opéra Garnier restaurant. She climbs the ranks and becomes a chef. This first experience allowed him to develop his own cuisine, using Japanese ingredients and French techniques. After six years at the Opéra Garnier restaurant, Chihiro became the first executive chef of Café Kitsuné, whose menu was developed in collaboration with Tokyo chefs.

Chihiro's new adventure is as executive chef at iRASSHAI! She created the menus for the different restaurants: the SHOKUDO & the BIWAN, but also the TAKE-AWAY and the KISSATEN. At SHOKUDO, we discover authentic Japanese cuisine with a contemporary touch. At BIWAN, Chihiro deploys her French cooking techniques to bring a lot of modernity to traditional Japanese ingredients. The entire menu is designed around the seasonality of fruits and vegetables and the dishes are inspired by culinary specialties from the North and South of Japan. The result is great diversity for varied culinary experiences!