Mutsuko Soma

Mutsuko Soma is a James Beard Award finalist and Japanese chef and owner of Kamonegi and its sister bar, Hannyatou. She specializes in handmade soba noodles and is the only chef on the West Coast to roll soba by hand.

Early life Soma was born and raised in Tochigi, Japan. As a child, Soma watched her grandmother make soba by hand for her family.

Career In 2002, After graduation, she worked in various Seattle kitchens, including Harvest Vine, Saito, and Chez Shea in Pike Place Market. At age 25, Soma returned to Tokyo and became a WSET Level 3 certified kikizakeshi (sake sommelier).

On November 4, 2012, Soma opened Miyabi 45th in Seattle's Wallingford neighborhood. The restaurant specialized in handmade soba and received praise from food critics and the wider community. Soma received a feature on Serious Eats for her work at Miyabi 45th, where she gave a step-by-step guide to her process for soba-making. Additionally, Miyabi 45th was featured in Bon Appetit Magazine's 2013 article, "Where to Eat in Seattle, Washington." In January 2016, Soma departed Miyabi 45th to go on maternity leave.

On October 13, 2017, Soma opened up Kamonegi in Fremont, which specializes in tempura and handmade soba noodles. Furthermore, Soma partnered with Washington State University's Bread Lab to experiment with different genetic variations of buckwheat in Kamonegi. In 2017, Soma was named Eater Seattle's Chef of the Year.

In 2019, Soma opened Hannyatou, a sake bar, next to Kamonegi. That fall, Soma was featured in The New York Times article, "The New Generation of Chefs Pushing Japanese Food in Unexpected Directions."

In 2020, Soma was named the winner of Starchefs Seattle Rising Stars Award Winner.

In 2022, Soma was named a finalist for the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific.

Personal life Soma is married and has a daughter.