Hiroshi Sasaki
Affiliation
Gion Sasaki
Three-Michelin-starred kaiseki cuisine at Gion Sasaki since 2019
i. Biography
Hiroshi Sasaki is the chef and owner of Gion Sasaki, a three-Michelin-starred kaiseki restaurant in Kyoto's Gion district that he opened in 1997 and relocated to a renovated 90-year-old wooden townhouse in 2006. Born on December 16, 1961, in Nara Prefecture, Sasaki grew up in a family with deep ties to the restaurant business and began his culinary apprenticeship at age 18 after high school. He earned Gion Sasaki's second Michelin star in 2009 and its third star in 2019, which has been maintained annually since. Sasaki is renowned for transforming kaiseki into theatrical performance through an open kitchen concept, earning the nickname 'Sasaki Theater,' and for his philosophy of 'cook today, serve today' that breaks from rigid kaiseki traditions.
The Archive
Selected Works & Focus Areas
Focus 01
Three-Michelin-starred kaiseki cuisine at Gion Sasaki since 2019
Focus 02
Theatrical open-kitchen cooking style ('Sasaki Theater')
Focus 03
'Cook today, serve today' culinary philosophy
Focus 04
Breaking traditional kaiseki conventions with bold innovation
Focus 05
Interactive dining experiences with seasonal Japanese ingredients
Focus 06
Installation of brick oven in 2006 for experimental preparations
Focus 07
Collaboration with international chefs including Alain Ducasse and Thierry Marx