SHIKI Japanese Fine Dining bids farewell to Chef de Cuisine Alois Traint after eleven years together
Vienna – After more than a decade of close collaboration, a defining era comes to an end at the multi-award-winning restaurant SHIKI Japanese Fine Dining: Chef de Cuisine Alois Traint will conclude his role at the restaurant and, in the future, devote more time to his family life. The decision comes in the context of personal changes and marks a natural transition after eleven successful years that have left a lasting impact on both the restaurant and Austria’s fine-dining scene.
Since SHIKI’s opening in 2015, Alois Traint, together with owner Joji Hattori, has shaped a culinary signature that unites Japanese aesthetics with European product-driven cuisine. Precision, clarity, and respect for the ingredients formed the foundation of his work. Born in 1970 in Neunkirchen (Lower Austria), Traint brought with him a classical Austrian culinary training as well as experience from renowned kitchens, developing at SHIKI a cuisine that combines uncompromising craftsmanship with cultural openness.
The chef became especially known for his exceptional philosophy surrounding knives. More than one hundred handcrafted blades accompany his daily work — not merely as tools, but as an expression of an attitude that understands precision as a form of mindfulness. Equally defining was his passion for herbs, sprouts, and cresses, which played a central role in the SHIKI kitchen. For Traint, plant elements were never mere decoration, but essential components of aromatic balance — from perilla cress and tagetes to various shiso varieties.
He always understood his cuisine as a cultural dialogue: Japanese technique met European emotion, tradition encountered modern lightness. This culinary signature made SHIKI a place where gastronomic boundaries were consciously explored without ever losing sight of its roots. Media outlets such as Deutschlandfunk Kultur, A la carte, Die Presse, and Falstaff repeatedly recognized his distinctive style and exceptional craftsmanship.
With deep gratitude, the team looks back on eleven shared years during which Alois Traint, through dedication, talent, and passion, played a decisive role in the success of the house. At the same time, a new chapter begins for him — one in which family priorities will take center stage.
SHIKI Japanese Fine Dining extends its heartfelt thanks for the many years of collaboration and the shared journey filled with culinary inspiration. The traces Alois Traint leaves behind will remain part of the restaurant’s history — a testament to a cuisine that unites precision, closeness to nature, and Japanese-European refinement.
