Jimi
“Jimi Yui cherishes food. Where others see fuel, he sees the rich fabric of human history, shared relationships, complex cultures and family lore.”
Home & Design, May/June 2006
James Beard award-winner Jimi Yui speaks the language of chefs,
affording him the unique ability to create the stages where they perform.
Motivated by an indomitable spirit of creative disruption, problem solving and a commitment to excellence, Jimi is recognized as one of the world’s top kitchen designers and industry innovators.
Born and raised in Tokyo, Jimi hails from a long line of hospitality entrepreneurs.
Passion for food and design….the recurring themes in his life and work…were cultivated early during his childhood running around and later serving in The Guest House, his family’s acclaimed Shanghai- and Peking-style restaurant in Tokyo.
The family wisdom and commitment to entrepreneurialism, service and hospitality traveled with Jimi when he moved to America as a teenager. He went on to Cornell University's School of Architecture, where he completed four years, and then moved to Cornell's School of Hotel Administration, from which he graduated in 1979. He launched his design career with a six-year tenure at Cini Little International and spent another six years as a founding principal of a hotel management and restaurant development firm.
In 1986, Jimi launched YuiDesign, a boutique studio offering customized commercial kitchen solutions
tailored to the exacting needs of chefs and their artistic visions.
Jimi sits on the Board of Cornell's Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship, and he is a member of The Cornell Hotel Society and the Cornell Asian Alumni Association (CAAA)—which named him the 2020 CAAA Honoree. He is also a member of Foodservice Consultants Society International (FCSI), which honored him with the 2018 FCSI Trendsetter Award.
Jimi resides in Manhattan and Takoma Park, Maryland with his wife and business partner, Ellen.