Owner / Executive Chef

Chef Mitsunobu Nagae is the owner / executive chef of Tribeca’s warm, sophisticated and elegant French restaurant, l’abeille. Chef Mitsunobu also serves as Corporate Executive Chef for Kuma Hospitality Group. Born in Japan, chef Mitsunobu first started cooking at 15 years old and grew up in a single parent household where he would prepare lunch and dinner for his sisters. “Cooking started growing on me and I started experimenting with different cuisines. Fun fact: Béchamel sauce was the first French cuisine I tried making!”

Nagae’s passion quickly evolved into a career path, and he moved to Lyon, France in 2007 to attend culinary school at the esteemed Tsuji Culinary Institute. It was here that Nagae first became mesmerized by Joël Robuchon’s talent + cuisine– he watched a documentary about the chef that inspired his cooking philosophy + techniques. Before graduating, he received the school’s highest award, Student of The Year.

Motivated to work with the best chefs in the industry, his first chef position was at three-Michelin starred restaurant, Régis et Jacques Marcon in France. This foundation gave him the experience to land at Ledoyen, another three-Michelin starred restaurant in France helmed by Christian Le Squer in 2014.

In 2008, Nagae’s dreams were realized as he joined three Michelin-starred Château Restaurant Joël Robuchon in Tokyo. During this time, he worked alongside and was mentored by renowned chefs such as Alain Verzeroli and Yuichiro Watanabe. Since then, Chef Mitsu has held senior positions at Michelin-Star restaurants including e.t.c. (Paris), L’Osier (Tokyo) and L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon (New York).

Chef Mitsu finds inspiration for new dishes at the farmer’s market by seeing various ingredients he comes across and imagining the flavor combinations he can create. Each time he steps into the kitchen he puts thoughtful consideration to respecting traditions of French cuisine. At home, Chef Mitsu likes reading cookbooks while sipping his favorite coffee.