Chef Shimi

Chef Shimi
Sprite from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Species	Cheep Cheep
First appearance	Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (2004)
Latest appearance	Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch) (2024)

“A mystery, you just said? ...And, uh, um, er, exactly... what kind of dish is that?”

—Chef Shimi, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Chef Shimi is a Cheep Cheep chef who works on the Excess Express in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. As such, Shimi is in charge of preparing all the meals for the train's upscale passengers. His first language is "Cheep-Cheep", so he often uses the wrong words when talking to non-Cheep Cheeps (e.g. "You shaved my life!"). He also often speaks in exaggerated metaphors and avoids any kind of abbreviations. Chef Shimi is stated to be quite good at cooking by characters such as the waitress, although it is a minor running joke that he is unable to cook with anything but Mushrooms. In spite of the limitation, Shimi's cooking is so renowned that he was featured on the cover of a gourmet-food magazine found in the bedside table drawer of Heff T.'s cabin (003), beaming with pride with his blinding smile.

Chef Shimi's name comes from a shortening of "sashimi," the Japanese name for a type of a raw fish dish.

History

Mario first meets Shimi after boarding the Excess Express, where he assumes the role of a detective to deduce who stole Shimi's pot of stew. Following a trail of spilled stew, Mario discovers the identity of the culprit, Heff T., a gluttonous Toad foodie. Mario returns the pot to Shimi, who rewards him with a Star Piece. Despite the inconvenience, Chef Shimi and Heff T. develop a friendship.

Shimi's super-duper speciality is the Mushroom Full Course, which features a mushroom bouillon, mushroom mousse, assorted roasted mushrooms, mushrooms in saffron, and mushroom sorbet, served with a side of mushroom coffee. After leaving Riverside Station, Shimi states he is preparing the speciality using mushrooms picked from the station, resulting in Mario's partner questioning if those mushrooms are safe to eat.

At the start of the third day, Shimi, along with the other passengers and staff, goes missing, being absorbed into a hoard of Smorgs that attacks the train. Mario eventually defeats the Smorgs, causing them to blow away in the wind and allowing the rest of the passengers to arrive safely in Poshley Heights. Shimi remains on the train for the rest of the game, continuing his duties alongside the waitress.

Shimi later posts a trouble in the Trouble Center. For a special meal, he needs a Mystic Egg, a Golden Leaf and a Keel Mango. For that trouble, Mario must get the Mystic Egg by playing with Petuni, collect the Golden Leaf behind the Creepy Steeple, and acquire the Keel Mango from a tree in Keelhaul Key. He must then board the Excess Express to bring the ingredients to Shimi for his reward.

In the remake on the Nintendo Switch, Chef Shimi is added to the group in Poshley Heights as they shout support into the Crystal Star to aid Mario and his partners during the final battle.

Tattle

• "This is Chef Shimi, the cook aboard the Excess Express. He cooks for EVERYBODY! I can't figure this guy out. I have no idea if he's joking most of the time."

Gallery

• 

  Concept art of the Excess Express passengers and staff, including Chef Shimi

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	コック[?] Kokku	Cook
Chinese (simplified)	厨师[?] Chúshī	Cook
Chinese (traditional)	廚師[?] Chúshī	Cook
Dutch	Chef Speys[?]	From spijs ("food")
French	Chef Sushi[?]	-
German	Koch[?]	Cook
Italian	Cuoco del Fasto-Express[?]	Excess Express chef
Korean	쿡[?] Kuk	Cook
Spanish	Cocinero[?]	Cook

Trivia

• In the original game's end credits parade, Shimi's silhouette can be seen with the Poshley Heights characters.
  • In the remake, she, Toodles, the Excess Express waitress, Zip Toad, Heff T., and the businessman follow behind Pennington as he investigates the stage. This is until Ghost T. appears and spooks at them, resulting in them all fleeing in horror as Ghost T. ascends into a bright light.