Twenty years after opening its doors, KAKINUMA restaurant on Rue Henri-Blanvalet is celebrating a milestone anniversary. While the group has expanded over the years with new locations and concepts, the heart of this family adventure continues to beat at its historic restaurant. Today, Yosuke and Kohei Kakinuma carry on the story begun by their parents, Shinya and Sho, with the same ambition: to preserve the family legacy while guiding its evolution.
Although the Kakinuma Group now includes several restaurants and concepts — from Izakaya Kakinuma and Temaki Bar to Sando & Saoko, as well as the recent acquisition of Namura — each of them traces its origins back to the same address: Rue Henri-Blanvalet. It was here that, over the years, a relationship of trust was built with a loyal clientele and the foundations were laid for a culinary identity based on high standards, consistency, and authenticity.
This commitment to their roots continues to guide the family’s decisions today. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the restaurant industry, they chose to focus their efforts on their historic establishment. The secondary locations closed, a takeaway service was launched from the very first day of lockdown, and the original restaurant became the anchor that enabled the group to navigate this challenging period before continuing its development.
For Yosuke and Kohei Kakinuma, who grew up among the restaurant’s tables before graduating from the École hôtelière de Lausanne, this continuity feels entirely natural. By fully joining the family business, their aim is not to turn the page, but to continue a story that began twenty years ago. Under their leadership, the group has developed new concepts while ensuring that the spirit behind KAKINUMA’s success since its beginnings remains intact.
The story itself began with a bold decision. In 2006, Shinya Kakinuma left his position as sushi chef at Restaurant Uchino in Versoix to take over Yamakawa, Geneva’s first Japanese restaurant, alongside his wife, Sho. At a time when the Eaux-Vives district had yet to become what it is today, the couple took a chance on creating a restaurant that reflected their own vision. Twenty years later, that decision has become the foundation of a family business whose legacy continues to be passed from one generation to the next.
On the occasion of this 20th anniversary, the Kakinuma family would above all like to thank everyone who has been part of the journey since the very beginning:
“This 20-year milestone is incredibly moving for us. From the bottom of our hearts, we would like to thank all our customers, partners, and team members who have supported us throughout the years. None of this would have been possible without you.”
