Fumiko Kono ( ja, 狐野扶実子 born 1969) is a Japanese personal and business chef who prepares fusion dishes of
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
and
Japanese cuisine
Japanese cuisine encompasses the regional and traditional foods of Japan, which have developed through centuries of political, economic, and social changes. The traditional cuisine of Japan (Japanese: ) is based on rice with miso soup and other ...
. Classically trained at
Le Cordon Bleu
Le Cordon Bleu (French for " The Blue Ribbon") is an international network of hospitality and culinary schools teaching French ''haute cuisine''. Its educational focuses are hospitality management, culinary arts, and gastronomy. The instituti ...
in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, she has cooked for celebrities throughout the world, been the featured subject of documentaries, and has written her own cookbooks.
Early life
Fumiko Kono was born on 25 August 1969 in
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
, Japan. As a child, Kono, who plays the cello wanted to become a musician, but she also gained an appreciation and love of food from her great-uncle, Tatsujiro. As hear grandfather had died during World War II, her great-uncle filled his place in her life, teaching her about combining high-quality ingredients. He was an untrained cook, but had a refined palate and used fresh herbs to season his dishes, teaching Kono that flavor mixing was not arbitrary, but due to skill. She graduated in 1993 from
Seijo University
is a private university in Seijo, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan. It is operated by the Seijo Gakuen institute. Seijo University has its origins in Seijo Gakuen (成城学園), which was founded in 1917 by Dr. Masataro Sawayanagi, a former Ministe ...
with diplomas in English literature and linguistics. She moved to France that same year to begin studies on French civilization and had plans to become a journalist. Without any prior knowledge of French, Kono rented a studio apartment on Rue Vieille-du-Temple, decided to remain in France and married a Japanese journalist, who was based in Paris. After being invited to dinner at
L'Arpège, she discovered French cuisine and decided to enroll in classes at
Le Cordon Bleu
Le Cordon Bleu (French for " The Blue Ribbon") is an international network of hospitality and culinary schools teaching French ''haute cuisine''. Its educational focuses are hospitality management, culinary arts, and gastronomy. The instituti ...
, graduating with honors in 1997.
Career
Kono made her restaurant debut with chef Reine Sammut in 1997 and soon after went to work for
Alain Passard
Alain Passard (; born 4 August 1956 at La Guerche-de-Bretagne, France) is a French chef and owner of the three michelin star restaurant L'Arpège in Paris.
The son of musicians, Passard plays the saxophone.
History and mentors
Alain Passard ...
as a kitchen assistant. Passard's philosophy was similar to her great-uncle's, in that he taught her that artistry must come from quality products. He taught her that colors, shapes, odors, and taste must be rigorously selected. She studied with him for three years, working her way up the ladder at his restaurant L'Arpège to become his second chef. She did not like being in charge of other employees and left after a few months to begin working as a personal chef. Taking on international clients, Kono traveled worldwide cooking for celebrities, like
Dany Boon
Dany Boon (; born Daniel Farid Hamidou on 26 June 1966) is a French actor, film director, screenwriter and producer.
Starting out as a comedian during the 1990s, he found success in 2008 as an actor and director in the film comedy ''Welcome to ...
,
Bernadette Chirac
Bernadette Thérèse Marie Chirac ( Chodron de Courcel; born 18 May 1933) is a French politician and the widow of the former president Jacques Chirac.
She and Chirac met as students at Sciences Po, and were married on 16 March 1956. They had t ...
,
Judith Godrèche
Judith Godrèche (born 23 March 1972) is a French actress and author. She has appeared in more than 30 films.
Early life
Godrèche was born in the 17th arrondissement of Paris. Her father is a psychoanalyst, and her mother a child therapist. He ...
and others. In 2004, she designed a menu with French chef Richard Pommiès for Laurent Taieb's restaurant "Le Kong", which features Japanese-French fusion cuisine. The following year, Frédéric Laffont produced a documentary about her as part of his series "Secrets de cuisine" which was broadcast on
France 5
France 5 () is a French free-to-air public television channel, part of the France Télévisions group. Principally featuring educational programming, the channel's motto is ''la chaîne de la connaissance et du savoir'' (the knowledge network). ...
. In 2005,
Fauchon
Fauchon is a French gourmet food and delicatessen company that was founded in 1886 in Paris, France. Fauchon is considered a major reference in contemporary French gourmet foods, and it had 81 outlets in operation around the world as of 2019.
...
hired her as head chef of salty products and she revised several of their standards catering options, to create a lighter more international flair. She cooked risottos with Japanese rice, developed a lighter version of the house specialty Norwegian eggs and created a best-seller in the catering department, skewers of scallops with lemongrass.
Kono began publishing
cookbooks
A cookbook or cookery book is a kitchen reference containing recipes.
Cookbooks may be general, or may specialize in a particular cuisine or category of food.
Recipes in cookbooks are organized in various ways: by course (appetizer, first cour ...
in 2007 with her most noted publication being ''La Cuisine de Fumiko'' (2009). In 2009, she was recruited to teach at the
Alain Ducasse
Alain Ducasse (; born 13 September 1956) is a French-born Monégasque chef. He operates a number of restaurants including Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester which holds three stars (the top rating) in the Michelin Guide.
Early life and career
D ...
chef's cooking school on Rue de Longchamp in Paris and the following year, Kono opened a bistro, "Benoit", in
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
making her permanent home in Japan. She continued to travel acting as a personal chef for private functions worldwide, wrote food editorials, a guide to Parisian restaurants, and participated in several Japanese cooking shows. Kono has served as a guest chef for the
Galeries Lafayette
The Galeries Lafayette () is an upmarket French department store chain, the biggest in Europe. Its flagship store is on Boulevard Haussmann in the 9th arrondissement of Paris but it now operates in a number of other locations in France and othe ...
in Paris and
Maison Hermès of Tokyo. Since 2013, Kono has been one of the chefs creating food for
Japan Airlines
, also known as JAL (''Jaru'') or , is an international airline and Japan's flag carrier and largest airline as of 2021 and 2022, headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Haneda Airport, as w ...
and in 2016, introduced a children's menu for the company. In 2014, she was asked by Ducasse to participate in an event held at the
Palace of Versailles
The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 19 ...
to celebrate French gastromony. Ducasse also offered Kono a six-month-long contract to serve as guest chef for the patio at his
Plaza Athénée
The Hotel Plaza Athénée is a Brunei-owned historic luxury hotel in Paris, France. It is located at 25 Avenue Montaigne in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, 8th arrondissement of Paris, near the Champs-Élysées and the Palais de Tokyo. The hotel ...
hotel in Paris. Kono's menu was so successful, two years later it was still served as part of the offerings of chef Mathieu Emeraud for the Garden Courtyard of Plaza Athénée.
Selected works
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Notes
References
Citations
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kono, Fumiko
1969 births
Living people
People from Tokyo
University of Paris alumni
Alumni of Le Cordon Bleu
Japanese chefs
Cookbook writers
21st-century Japanese women writers
Women cookbook writers
Seijo University alumni