Yu Tanaka
Le Bristol Paris' Head Pastry Chef
Stepping into the role after a few years at Epicure, the young Chef realises his long-held dream of leading the pastry kitchen for the Parisian Palace.
Born in Fukuoka, Japan in 1990, Yu Tanaka attributes his passion for French gastronomy to his father, a skilled Chef and devoted epicurean who trained at Restaurant Paul Bocuse in Lyon and went on to work for a French restaurant in Tokyo. At the age of 15, Yu Tanaka decided to follow in his father’s footsteps toward a career steeped in the culinary traditions of France by training for three years in the arts of patisserie and boulangerie. At 18 years old, driven by a strong desire to deepen his knowledge, he moved to France in search of opportunity.
When he joined the kitchens of Epicure in 2016 and then became Head of Pastry, it was not just stars that he was reaching for, but also his childhood dream. Today, for him, becoming the Pastry Chef of the Parisian palace is much more than just a consecration. "It's like becoming a player on the football team you admired as a child," he jokes.