Chef Shuzo Kishida – To Make Known to The Rest of the Culinary World

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Chef Shuzo Kishida has one aim, and that it is to make known to the rest of the culinary world that Japanese chefs can become at par with some of the best Caucasian chefs of the world. And prove it he did when his restaurant earned its own three Michelin stars and a spot in the San Pellegrino’s top 100 best restaurants of the world. Right now, Quintessence is considered as the 88th best restaurant of the world.

Chef Kishida was born on the 8th of August 1974 in Japan’s Aichi Prefecture. He began his career in the culinary world at the age of 19 years old when he found work at the La Mer restaurant. This is a French restaurant situated at the Shima Kanko Hotel of Japan’s Mie Prefecture, and Chef Kishida worked here from 1993 to 1996, learning the basics in cooking.

After La Mer, he then went to Tokyo to work in the kitchens of K M, which is also a French restaurant situated in Shibuya. He stayed here from 1996 to 2000, after which he then went to Paris to further his culinary education and training. In Paris, he found work at Michelin-starred restaurants, learning the art of French cooking.

It was in 2003 that he finally landed a job in the kitchens of Chef Pascal Barbot at the L’Astrance, a French restaurant that boasts of three Michelin stars. After a year, he moved through the ranks and was appointed as L’Astrance sous chef.

While he was with Chef Barbot, he had the opportunity to attend a very prominent and very prestigious assembly of international chefs, and this international cuisine congress, Lo Mejor de la Gastronomia, was held in San Sebastian, Spain. Here, he got to show off his culinary skill with his mentor, Chef Barbot, at a cooking demonstration.

In 2005 and after four years of stay with L’Astrance in France, he finally decided to come back home to Japan and open his own restaurant, and armed with exemplary culinary skill in French cuisine as well as a very good resume – having worked with the great Chef Barbot – he finally launched Quintessence in March 2006.

A true follower of Chef Barbot’s culinary philosophy, he created a cuisine that is highly influenced by what he learned in the kitchens of L’Astrance and under the tutelage of Chef Barbot. In fact, he adheres closely to the culinary flow of L’Astrance and to the culinary philosophy of his mentor. He believes that, to make a really good dish more memorable, you have to follow three things. One, you have to respect the produce; two, you need to understand the cooking process thoroughly; and three, you have to give attention to even the minutest detail.

These “processes” that he learned from his mentor earned him three Michelin stars in 2007, a year after Quintessence opened its doors to the public, and it also earned him a spot in San Pellegrino’s list of top 100 restaurants in the world.

With these great achievements, he has more than proven to the world that Japanese chefs deserve to be recognized in the culinary world.

Image Credit: straitstimes.com

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