Chef-Owner

Natsuko Shoji

Natsuko Shoji
Natsuko Shoji, chef-owner of private dining restaurant été, is one of the most exciting talents in Tokyo’s fine dining scene today.

Drawing inspiration from her love of haute couture and art, she brings a unique blend of elegance and audacity to her cuisine. Her dishes showcase a distinctive combination of pastry skills and modern French cooking techniques.

For Shoji, cooking is more than just a form of hospitality — it’s a synergy with the people who contribute to the dining experience, from dedicated food producers to curious diners.

She warmly invites you to experience her culinary paradise that is été.

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Awards

  • 2018

    OAD Top Restaurants *

  • 2019

    OAD Top Restaurants

  • 2020

    Asia’s Best Restaurants – Asia’s Best Pastry Chef *
    La Liste
    OAD Top Restaurants

  • 2021

    The World’s 50 Best Restaurants — 50 Next List *
    Asia’s Best Restaurants
    OAD Top Restaurants
    Bvlgari Avrora Awards

  • 2022

    The Best Chef — Top 100 chefs *, FoodArt Award *
    Asia’s Best Restaurants, Asia’s Best Female Chef *
    OAD Top Restaurants
    La Liste — the Delicate Dessert Award Presented by PIERRE HERMÉ

  • 2023

    WOMEN on the FRONTIER — Presented by Harper’s BAZAAR, Sponsored by Tiffany & Co.
    The Best Chef — Top 100 chefs
    OAD Top Restaurants
    La Liste

* Denotes the first time that the award has been given to a Japanese female chef

Biography

  • 1989

    Born on August 16 in Chiba Prefecture. Raised in Tokyo.

  • 2008

    Graduated from Komaba Gakuen High School. Began training at Daikanyama’s one Michelin-starred Le jeu de l’assiette.

  • 2009

    Moved to Florilège (now located in Jingumae) to work as a sous chef under chef Hiroyasu Kawate.

  • 2014

    Opened été in a small apartment space in Tokyo. Created her culinary masterpiece, Fleurs d’été, a mango tart.

  • 2019

    Moved été to Yoyogi Uehara. Working with the theme of “A unique small paradise in the world”, she developed an exclusive dining concept; a surreal, imaginative gourmet experience paired with omotenashi or Japanese hospitality.

  • 2020

    Began collaborating with top artists like Takashi Murakami, Tomo Koizumi, Makoto Azuma, and VERDY.

  • 2021

    Set up Fleurs d'été as a separate specialised space for handling cake orders. To express gratitude to her customers who have supported her since the early days of her career, she gave the cake store a theme of genten kaiki or “returning to one’s roots”. The new shop replicates the scale of the original restaurant. As a nod to sustainability, furniture from the original restaurant was refurbished by craftsmen and reused in the new space.

  • 2022

    Together with Komaba Gakuen High School, she started a project to train a new generation of chefs to implement Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in their work.