Toshiya Kadowaki

Toshiya Kadowaki, born in Hokkaido in 1960, trained at Koshi in Roppongi, Tsukiji Uemura where he became chef of the Nishinippori store at age 27, and later at Kamogawa and Kaiyantei before opening Azabu Kadowaki in Tokyo's Azabu-Juban in 2000 at age 40. The restaurant initially refused Michelin stars in 2008, earned two stars from 2010 to 2019, and was awarded three stars in 2020, which it has held since. Kadowaki is known for kaiseki cuisine fusing Japanese techniques with premium Western ingredients, exemplified by his signature truffle claypot rice born from customer feedback.