Masaharu Morimoto Biography
Masaharu Morimoto is a Japanese chef best known for his appearances as an Iron Chef on the Japanese cooking shows Iron Chef and its spinoff Iron Chef America. He is also known for his distinct food presentation style.
How Old is Masaharu Morimoto? – Age
He is 67 years old is 26 May 2021. He was born in 1955 in Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan.
Who is Chef Morimoto wife?- Marriage
He is married to Keiko Morimoto. The couple married in 1978.
Masaharu Morimoto Iron Chef
Morimoto’s official Iron Chef win/loss/tie record is 16-7-1. Morimoto’s Iron Chef costume was silver with red trim and a picture of Japanese and American flags tied together in a sheaf on the back. Morimoto wears (purely aesthetic) glasses in his professional life to distinguish himself from his on-screen persona. He usually drank a bottle of Coca-Cola while cooking on the show, and on one occasion he combined it with natt to make a dessert dish. In a 1999 battle, he was known for his dishes that seemed out of nowhere, such as Bell Pepper Sushi.
Masayoshi Morimoto is best known in Iron Chef: The Professionals for his battle with Bobby Flay, in which he declared Flay “not a chef” because he stood up on his chopping board after completing his dishes. Tadamichi Ohta, vice-chairman of the Japanese Culinary Association and leader of the infamous “Ohta Faction” of Japanese chefs, was also a target of his. Ohta’s faction lost three battles with Morimoto before finally defeating him in one with challenger Seiya Masahara.
When Iron Chef America relocated from Los Angeles to New York, Iron Chef Masahiro Morimoto took over as host. Morimoto: The Art of New Japanese Cooking, his first cookbook, was released in 2007. During the series’ judgment phase, his voice is usually dubbed by American voiceover personality Joe Cipriano.
Masaharu Morimoto Net Worth
He has an estimated net worth of $18 Million.
Does Masaharu Morimoto own any Restaurants?
Morimoto studied sushi and traditional Kaiseki cuisine in Hiroshima before opening his own restaurant there in 1980. He sold his restaurant in 1985 to travel around the United States, influenced by Western cooking styles. His travels influenced his fusion cuisine even more. He settled in New York City and worked in some of the city’s most prestigious restaurants, including the Sony Corporation’s executive dining room and visiting VIPs, the Sony Club, where he was executive chef, and the exclusive Japanese restaurant Nobu, where he was head chef.
He got his start on the Iron Chef television show while working at Nobu. He left Nobu several months after the weekly run of Iron Chef ended in 1999 to work with Starr Restaurants before opening his own Morimoto restaurant in Philadelphia in 2001. His first venture was a Morimoto restaurant in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood. The exposed concrete in this New York City restaurant is a signature element of architect Tadao Ando, who designed the restaurant with Goto Design Group and structural engineers Leslie E. Robertson Associates. Mr. Morimoto owns Wasabi restaurants in Mumbai and New Delhi and has opened Morimoto locations all over the world.
In July 2010, he opened his flagship Morimoto restaurant in Napa Valley, followed by a Waikiki, Hawaii location in October 2010 and a Maui location in October 2013. Morimoto Waikiki closed its doors in December of 2016. In 2018, the chef announced two new ventures for the neighborhood: Morimoto Asia and Momosan branches.
Morimoto opened Tribeca Canvas in New York’s Tribeca neighborhood in November 2012, serving Asian-inflected takes on American comfort food. After a string of negative reviews and declining business, he closed the restaurant in August 2013 for a makeover, and in October that year, he opened Bisutoro in the same space, serving his interpretations of classic bistro fare. Bisutoro followed in the footsteps of its predecessor and closed in January 2014.
Morimoto also owns Morimoto XEX in Tokyo, a reimagining of his Morimoto concept that features separate Teppanyaki and sushi floors. Morimoto XEX was awarded a Michelin star in the Tokyo Michelin Guide in 2008. Morimoto made an appearance as an Iron Chef in Iron Chef America, a spinoff of the original Japanese Iron Chef series, as well as its spinoffs The Next Iron Chef and Iron Chef Gauntlet. In collaboration with Rogue Ales of Newport, Oregon, Chef Morimoto has also created a line of specialty beers, including the Imperial Pilsner, Soba Ale, and Black Obi Soba Ale.
Through Ardaji Restaurant Ventures, LLC, he partnered with businessmen Paul Ardaji, a credited Film Producer (ALI) starring Will Smith, and Paul Ardaji, Jr. in an aborted Asian bistro venture called PauliMotos Asian Bistro in 2005. The Ardajis’ relationship with the Iron Chef ended when the Ardajis were unable to raise the $20.0 million required to open 11 locations across the United States.
Morimoto Asia, a Pan-Asian restaurant, opened in September 2015 at Disney Springs in Walt Disney World in Florida. Morimoto opened Momosan Ramen & Sake on Lexington Avenue in New York City in April 2016. Morimoto opened the restaurant Momosan Ramen Boston on Causeway St. in Boston, Massachusetts, in October 2021.
