In Japan’s age-old capital, a young head chef stirs the pot

Hana Yoon exudes a quiet confidence as she puts the finishing touch on a canape of sous vide-cooked egg yolks sandwiched between thin layers of toast. With steady hands, she places a mound of caviar atop the intricate creation and passes the completed dish across a wooden counter.

This maneuver, mastered years ago, exemplifies her culinary finesse as the executive chef of Jean-Georges at The Shinmonzen, the Kyoto outpost of Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s two-Michelin-starred flagship restaurant in New York.

Dressed in a crisp, white chef’s jacket with her hair elegantly tied in a bun, Yoon appears entirely at ease in the gleaming open kitchen. Though only 28 years old, she has devoted most of her life to the culinary arts. Even as a child, she aspired to become a chef.