Kei Kobayashi makes Michelin history as first Japanese chef to receive three stars in France
- 42-year-old wowed Paris with signature dishes like sea bass cooked on its scales and Scottish smoked salmon with roquette mousse
- Banner year for Japanese chefs in France as Kazuyuki Tanaka and Yasunari Okazaki pick up two stars each
Chef Kei Kobayashi became the first Japanese chef ever to win the maximum three Michelin stars in France on Monday.
The 42-year-old, who was born in Nagano, was the biggest winner on a night when Japanese cooks triumphed in the backyard of French haute cuisine.
Kazuyuki Tanaka won two stars for Racine, his French restaurant in the northeastern city of Reims, as did Yasunari Okazaki for his crossover Franco-Japanese cuisine at L’Abysee au Pavillon Ledoyen in Paris.
Kobayashi – a striking figure with bleached blond hair – said Japanese cooks have earned their place at the top of French cuisine.
“There are lots of Japanese chefs now in France and you have accepted us and given us a place,” he said as picked up the highest distinction in French cooking.