Jonas Kellens is a sake specialist, curator and hospitality expert. He belongs to the first generation in Belgium to introduce sake into fine dining in a structural way. Not as a curiosity, but as a fully-fledged gastronomic language alongside wine. 

His career began in the kitchen, but took a defining turn during his time in Australia. There, he discovered a different approach to hospitality: more direct, more personal, and entirely centred around the guest experience. It was also there that he first encountered sake. A product that fundamentally changed the way he thinks about flavour, service and pairing. 

Back in Belgium, he became co-owner and sake sommelier of DIM Dining* in Antwerp. The restaurant grew into a reference within contemporary Asian gastronomy and was awarded a Michelin star. There, Jonas developed one of the country's most extensive sake collections and refined his own approach to pairing, where precision and intuition work hand in hand. 

Alongside this, Jonas Kellens has built a broader practice around sake, education and curation. Through Shinshu Sake, he focuses on selecting and introducing exceptional sake to both professionals and enthusiasts, with a strong emphasis on quality, provenance and context. 

He is also the founder of the Belgium Sake Festival, which annually brings together a wide audience around Japanese culture, sake and discovery. The festival reflects his belief that sake belongs not only in fine dining, but also deserves a broader cultural place. 

In 2022, Gault&Millau named him Host of the Year, recognising both his vision of hospitality and his contribution to the evolution of service within Belgian gastronomy. 

Today, Jonas Kellens serves as curator of A Japanese Summer at Valke Vleug Winery, bringing together Japanese chefs, producers and exceptional sake for a series of carefully curated encounters centred on craftsmanship, flavour and hospitality.