Kei Kobayashi

Kei Kobayashi (小林圭 Kobayashi Kei born 29 August 1977[1]) is a Japanese chef and owner of the restaurant Kei in Paris 1e. His restaurant earned three Michelin stars in 2020. He is the first Japanese chef to earn three Michelin stars in France.[2][3][4]

Kobayashi was born in Nagano.[5] He elected to focus on French cuisine after viewing a documentary about Alain Chapel. Kobayashi trained at French restaurants in Japan before moving to France in 1998 to work with Gilles Goujon and Alain Ducasse, at Plaza Athénée.[6][7]

  1. ^ "Michelin : Kei Kobayashi, nouveau 3 étoiles". 27 January 2020.
  2. ^ "Rivers of talent flow in the MICHELIN Guide France 2020". MICHELIN Guide. 27 January 2020.
  3. ^ "Kei Kobayashi becomes first Japanese chef to get three Michelin stars". France 24. 27 January 2020.
  4. ^ "KEI RESTAURANT".
  5. ^ "Blond ambition of Japan's history making chef". Agence France Presse. 1 February 2020. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  6. ^ Gibbons, Fiachra (28 January 2020). "Kei Kobayashi first Japanese chef to get three Michelin stars in France". Japan Times. Agence France Presse. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  7. ^ Rich, Motoko; Notoya, Kiuko (2024-05-15). "First, He Conquered Paris. Now, a Japanese Chef Wants to Become a Brand". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-05-20.