Masaharu Morimoto

Masaharu Morimoto (森本 正治) is a Japanese chef, best known as an Iron Chef on the Japanese TV cooking show Iron Chef and its spinoff Iron Chef America.

He is also known for his unique style of presenting food.

Morimoto received practical training in sushi and traditional Kaiseki cuisine in Hiroshima, and opened his own restaurant in that city in 1980.

Influenced by Western cooking styles, he decided to sell his restaurant in 1985 to travel around the United States.

His travels further influenced his fusion style of cuisine.

He established himself in New York City and worked in some of Manhattan's prestigious restaurants, including the dining area for Sony Corporation's executive staff and visiting VIPs, the Sony Club, where he was executive chef, and at the exclusive Japanese restaurant Nobu, where he was head chef.

While at Nobu he got his start on the Iron Chef television show.

Several months after the weekly run of Iron Chef ended in 1999, he left Nobu to collaborate with Starr Restaurants and opening his own Morimoto restaurant in Philadelphia in 2001.

His first expansion was a Morimoto restaurant in Chelsea in New York City.

Architecturally, this New York City restaurant has exposed concrete, a signature element of architect Tadao Ando, who designed the restaurant in collaboration with Goto Design Group and structural engineers Leslie E. Robertson Associates.

Mr. Morimoto has restaurants in Mumbai and New Delhi called Wasabi and has opened multiple locations of Morimoto around the world.

He would become known as the Iron Chef whose dishes always seemed to come out of left field—a famous example is his Bell Pepper Sushi in a sushi battle in 1999.

He would usually have a bottle of Coca-Cola to drink while cooking on the show; on one occasion he combined it with nattō to fashion a dessert dish.

Morimoto competed in the first sushi battle in Kitchen Stadium on June 18, 1999, against challenger Keiji Nakazawa.

There were five theme ingredients for the battle: tuna, eggs, Kohada (Japanese Gizzard Shad), Anago, and Kanpyō.

Both chefs were given time before the battle to properly prepare the sushi rice (sushi-meshi).

In 2005, he partnered with businessmen Paul Ardaji, a credited Film Producer (ALI) starring Will Smith, and Paul Ardaji, Jr., through Ardaji Restaurant Ventures, LLC in an aborted Asian bistro venture which was to be called PauliMotos Asian Bistro.

The relationship between the Ardajis and the Iron Chef broke down when the Ardajis could not raise the $20.0 million necessary capital to open 11 locations throughout the United States.

Morimoto XEX received a Michelin star in the 2008 Tokyo Michelin Guide.

Morimoto appeared as an Iron Chef in Iron Chef America, a spinoff from the original Japanese Iron Chef series, and in its spinoffs The Next Iron Chef and Iron Chef Gauntlet.

Chef Morimoto has also developed a line of specialty beers in collaboration with Rogue Ales of Newport, Oregon, consisting of the Imperial Pilsner, Soba Ale, and Black Obi Soba Ale.

In July 2010, he opened a Napa Valley location of his flagship Morimoto restaurant, followed in October 2010 by a Waikiki, Hawaii location, and a Maui location in October 2013.

In November 2012, Morimoto opened Tribeca Canvas in New York's Tribeca neighborhood, featuring Asian-inflected takes on American comfort food.

After a string of bad reviews and flagging business, he closed the restaurant for a revamp in August 2013, and that October opened the restaurant Bisutoro, with his interpretations of classic bistro fare, in the same space.

Bisutoro suffered the same fate as its predecessor and closed in January 2014.

Morimoto also owns Morimoto XEX in Tokyo, a spin on his Morimoto concept with separate Teppanyaki and sushi floors.

In September 2015, Morimoto opened the Pan-Asian restaurant Morimoto Asia at Disney Springs in Walt Disney World in Florida.

Morimoto Waikiki closed in December 2016.

In April 2016, Morimoto opened the restaurant Momosan Ramen & Sake on Lexington Ave. in New York City.

In October 2016, Morimoto opened Morimoto Las Vegas located insided the MGM Grand hotel on the Las Vegas strip.

In October 2021, Morimoto opened the restaurant Momosan Ramen Boston on Causeway St. in Boston, Massachusetts.

Morimoto's official win/loss/tie record on Iron Chef is 16-7-1.

Morimoto's costume on Iron Chef was silver with red trim and a picture on the back of Japanese and American flags tied together in a sheaf.

On Iron Chef America, he donned the standard blue Iron Chef outfit with white trim and a patch of the Japanese flag on his sleeve (the other Iron Chefs having flags from their respective countries on their sleeves).

In his professional life, to distinguish himself from his on-screen persona, Morimoto wears (purely aesthetic) glasses.

Unlike his predecessor, Koumei Nakamura, Morimoto's introduction as an Iron Chef came with little fanfare, debuting the week following Nakamura's retirement battle against Yukio Hattori.

Morimoto was chosen based on his style of cooking, which seemed to border on fusion cuisine, as well as his international experience.

Morimoto was initially reluctant to accept the title of Iron Chef, but accepted fearing the show would hire someone else.

Originally, he had planned to incorporate some of the dishes that he had routinely prepared in New York for Iron Chef, but discovered that previous challengers and Iron Chefs had already made similar dishes.

In 2018 the chef announced two new ventures for the neighborhood, branches of his Morimoto Asia and Momosan chains.