Kei Kobayashi

For the actress, see Kei Kobayashi (voice actress). For the record producer, see Kobametal.

Kei Kobayashi (小林圭 Kobayashi Kei born 29 August 1977^[1]) is a Japanese chef and owner of the restaurant Kei in Paris 1^e. His restaurant earned three Michelin stars in 2020. He is the first Japanese chef to earn three Michelin stars in France.^[2][3][4]

Kobayashi was born in Nagano.^[5] He elected to focus on French cuisine after viewing a documentary about Alain Chapel. Kobayashi trained at French restaurants in Japan before moving to France in 1998 to work with Gilles Goujon and Alain Ducasse, at Plaza Athénée.^[6][7]