Jimi Yui ’79
The Story
Founder, YuiDesign, Inc.
“Creating The Stage Where Chefs Perform”
James Beard award-winner Jimi Yui speaks the language of chefs, affording him the unique ability to create the stages where they perform.
Jimi’s passions for food and design…the recurring themes in his life and work…were cultivated early during his childhood in The Guest House, his family’s acclaimed Shanghai- and Peking-style restaurant in Tokyo. His interests then took form during his years at Cornell’s Hotel and Architecture Schools and resulted in a 50-year career designing some of the world’s most celebrated hospitality projects.
Born and raised in Tokyo, Jimi hails from a long line of entrepreneurs. Immediately following WWII, Jimi’s grandfather traveled with his eldest daughter from Shanghai to Tokyo to launch businesses, including a storied nightclub, where he and Jimi’s mother entertained the likes of General MacArthur, Danny Kaye, and Marilyn Monroe. For decades later in bustling Roppongi at The Guest House, Jimi’s mother and father welcomed celebrities and leaders from around the world, including John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Japanese ministers, diplomats, international business executives, and Yakuza bosses. Moving from table to table doing homework, Jimi worked in the restaurant, chopping blocks of ice with a pick (a lifelong habit), bussing tables, and serving drinks once he could see over the bar counter.
Jimi launched his first business at 13, creating and hawking customized, beaded necklaces on the streets of Tokyo. At 15, he had a much more profitable business pedaling Marlboros and Johnnie Walker Black Label that his American friends living on the military base would purchase for him tax-free, to bars in Roppongi. When his parents discovered his illegal businesses, Jimi was shipped off to his auntie in St. Louis and enrolled in the St. Louis Priory. From there, Jimi went on to Cornell, which profoundly changed the trajectory of his life. He started at the School of Architecture. Desperately wanting to work in the U.S. before returning to Japan, Jimi needed to secure a steady job – not a guarantee for architects during the late-1970s recession. Jimi loved partying with Hotelies who boasted about “100% job placement” and promised to hire him given his background in the family business. Instead, Jimi made a controversial (particularly for a Chinese son) decision to leave the Architecture School after three years and transfer to the Hotel School, the same year his renegade buddy Ted Teng ’79 transferred in from Engineering.
The Cornell Hotelie
Cornell gave Jimi the space to grow up and taught him to be adaptive, flexible, and to work very, very hard. During his senior year in 1979, “Brownies with Beck” guest lecturer John Cini ’54, founder of Cini-Little International (formerly Cini-Grissom), intrigued Jimi with alternative career ideas. John invited students to speak to him if they had an interest in designing commercial kitchens. When Jimi approached and shared that he had spent three years in the Architecture School, John invited him to Washington, D.C. for an interview the following Monday, and Jimi’s career was launched.
The early days at Cini-Grissom
Lifelong mentors John Cini and partner Bill Eaton ’61 taught Jimi kitchen design on projects for the world’s leading hotels and corporations. John sponsored Jimi for a green card to become a permanent resident, giving him the choice to stay in America. Jimi’s passions for food and the artistry of chefs kept mounting.
After six years, in 1986, Jimi told his then-girlfriend, Ellen, “I want to design for chefs” – a radical idea at that time, years ahead of the celebrity chef era, the Food Network, Iron Chef competitions, and today’s more sophisticated American palate. Too often commoditized as back-of-the-house employees, chefs had no funding to bring to the table, but Jimi saw how constrained they were lacking kitchens designed to realize their culinary visions, and how inefficient foodservice establishments were when designed by people who did not understand operations. Being equally young, optimistic, naïve, and risk-taking as Jimi, Ellen told him to go for it. And YuiDesign was born.
For 40 years, culinary legends from across the globe have turned to YuiDesign for help realizing their visions as kitchens shifted to center stage. Celebrity chefs, renowned hospitality developers and innovators, leading financiers, entrepreneurs, commercial foodservice providers, and retailers rely on Jimi’s expertise and insight. Jimi also regularly collaborates with some of the world’s leading architectural and design studios.
With Chef Morimoto at Morimoto Asia
Celebrating the installation of the grease trap with The Pierre GM François-Luiggi Olivier (IMMH ’92)
Before design commences, Jimi visits chefs in their kitchens and dining rooms, experiencing their food, understanding their unique culinary styles. A “chef whisperer,” Jimi helps balance the reality of spatial and financial constraints against the functional needs of the chef’s aspirations. Jimi sources equipment from across the globe, working hand-in-hand with manufacturers, often designing custom equipment. YuiDesign is tapped for feasibility and conceptual design, where the fundamental program decisions are made.
The practice grew via word-of-mouth, with more than 50 of the world’s leading chefs relying on YuiDesign to help make their visions come to life, including: Gaggan Anand, José Andrés, Mike Bagale, Lidia Bastianich, Nick Bazik, Christophe Bellanca, Jonathan Benno, April Bloomfield, Daniel Boulud, Ed Brown, Marc Forgione, John Fraser, Dani Garcia, Shaun Hergatt, Tim Hollingsworth, Thomas Keller, Melissa Kelly, James Kent, Dan Kluger, Gabriel Kreuther, Gray Kunz, Mark Ladner, Paul Liebrandt, Michael Lomonaco, Ignacio Mattos, Morimoto, Nobu, Kwame Onwuachi, Michel Richard, Eric Ripert, Missy Robbins, Joël Robuchon, Melissa Rodriguez, Aaron Silverman, Nancy Silverton, Rita Sodi, Angelo Sosa, Nick Steffanelli, Alex Stupak, Vikram Sunderam, Masa Takayama, Charlie Trotter, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Tetsuya Wakuda, Michael White, Jody Williams, Barry Wine, Masahiro Yoshitake, and Sang Yoon. Leading restaurateurs and developers who are clients include Steven Starr, Simon Kim of Gracious Hospitality Group, Restaurant Associates, Drew Nieporent, The Pierre, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Hyatt, Conrad, Marriott-St. Regis-Ritz Carlton, Equinox Hotels, Four Seasons, The Tavistock Group, Trinity Investments, and The Related Companies. Industry innovators with unique culinary concepts approach YuiDesign for new thinking and solutions around R&D, production, and service, including Eataly, Whole Foods, Shake Shack, Sweet Street Desserts, Formula One, Duke University, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Maintaining standards and focus in a boutique studio serving at the highest industry levels demands discipline and discernment, including selectivity when accepting commissions.
Motivated by an indomitable spirit of creative disruption, problem solving, a commitment to excellence, and his joy-filled passion, Jimi has received wide acclaim, including the James Beard Award for the SONY Club in New York City, a private dining room designed for Chef Barry Wine and dubbed “the most elegant deal-making space in this country” by The New York Times. Jimi was also awarded the Foodservice Consultants Society International Trendsetter Award and honored by the Cornell Asian Alumni Association. He has been featured in The Japan Times, NPR’s The Splendid Table, the “All In The Industry” podcast, Azure, Home and Design, and more. In his book, Turning the Tables: The Restaurant Industry From The Inside Out,” author Steven Shaw wrote: “In the rarified world of designers who create multi-million-dollar customized restaurant kitchens, Jimi Yui – whom no normal person has ever heard of – is a superstar. Equal parts designer, contractor, architect, and culinary psychologist, Jimi builds kitchens to the exacting specifications of some of the world’s top chefs.”
Teaching Hotelies Design
High-fiving HEC Chef Chris Kushner ’25
A Board member of Cornell’s Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship and member of The Cornell Hotel Society, Jimi is also a frequent guest lecturer at Cornell and other universities, and a judge and mentor of the Hotel School design classes. Jimi greatly enjoys connecting with students, coaching entrepreneurs and offering career advice. At HEC, he enjoys applauding the students and frequenting the unofficial outdoor cigar lounge with Ted Teng ’79 and Ed Evans’74. Jimi’s most beloved Hotelie affiliation is as one of the founding members of the Cornell Hotelie Chinatown Eating Club in 2016, along with Ted, François-Luiggi Olivier ‘92, Drew Nieporent ’77 and Richy Petrina ‘01.
The Cornell Hotelie Chinatown Eating Club Originals
The final (after 10 years) Cornell Hotelie Chinatown Eating Club dinner in March 2026 in the same place where it all started with the five OG’s
Jimi & Ellen
Jimi resides in Manhattan and Rhinebeck, NY, with his wife and business partner, Ellen. He enthusiastically embraces the Yui family motto, Food is Love. More Food is More Love, and is entertained watching the fourth generation – Zen ’14, Cornell Tech ’18 and wife Nikki ’13; and Yoshi ‘16 and partner Eros – follow their passions and continue the family tradition of thinking way outside the box.
Notes from Friends:
“Over the years, Jimi Yui and his firm YuiDesign have become an invaluable partner to my team at The Dinex Group, working alongside us on countless projects with exceptional professionalism and expertise. We trust him to translate our vision into highly functional, thoughtfully designed kitchens, always with precision, creativity, and an unwavering commitment to excellence. His collaborative approach has made him an integral part of many of our most successful projects. He is also unquestionably the kindest and most cheerful, even-tempered person in the industry, which makes a world of difference when working on the high-pressure and high-profile projects we tend to do. When there is no room for error, Jimi always finds a way to make it work. I am proud to call him a friend first and foremost, as well as the best kitchen designer I know.”
– Chef Daniel Boulud, Founder, Dinex Group
With Chef Daniel Boulud at Café Boulud, NYC
“The Mozza Restaurant Group would not be where it is today without the hard work and creativity of Jimi Yui. From Bozeman to Washington DC to the upcoming Pacific Palisades, we couldn’t dream of continuing to build our brand and expanding our restaurant locations without him and his firm. Jimi and his team are experts in their craft and really go above and beyond for their clients. Jimi designs kitchens where our chefs can execute the highest quality food with ease. His kitchens set our cooks up for success without compromising quality, comfort or functionality. It’s an honor to work with Jimi, and we are grateful every day that he continues to want to work with us!”
– Chefs Nancy Silverton and Liz Hong, Mozza Restaurant Group
With Chefs Nancy Silverton & Liz Hong and team at Osteria Mozza, Georgetown
“Throughout his remarkable career, Jimi has exemplified the best of hospitality with an unwavering commitment to excellence. Through YuiDesign, his influence extends far beyond the kitchens and restaurants he has helped create; he has inspired generations of hospitality professionals through his passion for the industry. This recognition is a fitting tribute to a lifetime of extraordinary achievements and meaningful contributions to the Cornell community and the global hospitality profession. Congratulations, Jimi, and thank you for your friendship!”
– Chef Masaharu Morimoto, Founder, MM Management LLC
“Jimi Yui and YuiDesign have been a trusted partner to me personally, Restaurant Associates and our clients for many years. Jimi has a unique ability to transform ideas into compelling designs that bring vision to life. Jimi is also a master puzzle solver, making unthinkable spaces work beautifully. His creativity, understanding of a chef’s needs, strategic thinking and attention to detail have consistently played a foundational role in numerous successful projects. I could not be more proud of the accomplishments of my friend Jimi!”
– Chef Ed Brown, CEO, Restaurant Associates
“Jimi Yui is, without question, the best in the business. In over twenty years of working with him on kitchen design, I have never once regretted the decision or found myself wishing I’d gone with someone else. He treats every chef he works with as a true partner — listening closely, respecting their vision, and translating even the most demanding, highly specific requirements into kitchens that are as functional as they are extraordinary. His depth of knowledge is unmatched, his professionalism is beyond reproach, and his ability to anticipate a chef’s needs before they’re even voiced is something I’ve never seen replicated by anyone else in the industry. Simply put, if you want a kitchen built by someone who understands chefs better than almost anyone alive, Jimi Yui is who you call.”
– Alex Munoz-Suarez, COO, Gracious Hospitality Management
With Simon Kim at Chimera, NYC
“Working with Jimi Yui has been one of the most encouraging experiences of my career building restaurants. It’s not often that I meet someone and regret that our paths didn’t cross sooner. Trusting someone with one of my kitchens—the heart of my restaurants—is not something I take lightly. Jimi understands the mind of a chef: how we move, what we need, and the intention behind every detail. He and the YuiDesign team have a rare ability to preserve the vision and soul of a restaurant while translating it into a kitchen that is thoughtful, functional, and beautiful.”
– Chef Kwame Onwuachi, Owner, Tatiana, Dōgon, and Maroon
With Chef Kwame Onwuachi
“Jimi Yui and the YuiDesign Team have been an integral partner to Starr Restaurants’ culinary success since the early 2000s…surprising us with their design brilliance and hands-on work ethic. Jimi brings decades of experience to every project, and he truly is a “cook’s designer.” Jimi designs and builds kitchens that are the most operationally functional kitchens, especially with high-volume kitchens. He has relationships with manufacturers that make the impossible possible! Jimi’s obsession with perfection doesn’t just end with a design plan; he and his team are onsite with their clients every step of the way to ensure the design is executed as drawn. I personally look forward to these days…I learn something new every site visit that I get to spend with Jimi. He has become not just an integral partner to Starr Restaurants over the years, but I consider him a personal friend. They don’t make them like Jimi Yui anymore, and if you ever have the pleasure of getting to work with him, you will leave the project with a longtime friend who is an incredible person.”
– Chef Nick Manos, Senior Director of Development and Construction, Starr Restaurants
In Hudson Yards Grill, NYC, for Chef Michael Lomonaco and The Related Cos.
