GINKO

Shigeo Kimura, Ginko owner and executive chef, immigrated to Canada in January of 1973. He worked as a landscaper and saved his Canadian pennies--dreaming of opening an authentically Japanese restaurant.

In 1978 (after toiling through several Toronto summers) Chef Kimura started a family with local girl Anne-Marie Micallef, and welcomed their first son, noted Toronto food-stylist Matthew Kimura, as they opened Sasaya, one of Toronto's five original sushi restaurants! 

Building on Sasaya's success Chef Kimura opened Ginko in 1984, his homage to Japanese cuisine, aesthetics, and culture, and for  the past thirty-six years has dedicated himself to freshness, authenticity, family, and his community. He is the internationally recognized kendo coach of the Toronto, Ryerson, & Mississauga Kendo Clubs;  President and founder of the Japanese Restaurant Association of Canada; and according to Anne-Marie and the boys, a kick-ass dad.