Arnaud Laidebeur
Chef | Owner
UMINONO

Arnaud grew up in a small town on the coast of Normandy, where he used to spend his free time either at the sea or cooking.

At 19 years old, he quit university to realise a childhood dream and become a chef. He joined the Paul Bocuse Institute to study Culinary Arts then built his experience in 5 star hotels, bistros and Michelin restaurants.

So how did a French chef end up making sushi? Arnaud always had a love for sushi, and when an opportunity arose to work in a traditional sushi restaurant in Bordeaux, Arnaud gratefully said yes, learning from a master sushi chef from Tokyo teaching him the basics.

What was meant to be a summer job to fill curiosity became a true passion. Since 2014, Arnaud kept learning and practicing sushi at home until he felt ready to serve his own customers. Arnaud and his wife arrived in Australia in 2015 with a working holiday visa, originally planning to stay for just a few months. This quickly turned into a new life ‘down under’.

In 2018, Uminono started as a ‘private omakase at home’ concept before developing into a high quality sushi takeaway concept few months before covid… Now, Uminono has its own space in Melbourne, a beautiful 12 seat sushi bar, serving a relaxed Omakase for lunch as well premium takeaway sushi for the at-home diner.