Since I basically know **** about this show after watching my first one ever last night, I decided to do a little research. Bio: Rokusaburo Michiba Rokusaburo Michiba, the first Iron Chef Japanese, is known as both "the god of Japanese cuisine" and "the rebel of the culinary world." He was born in 1931 to a family who dealt in tea ceremonies, and even today, Michiba is known for being particular about what types of porcelain used to plate his food for service. His interest in cooking dates to his childhood, and when he was young, he was an apprentice in the kitchens of famous restaurants in Kobe, Tokyo, and Kanazawa. At the age of 40, he opened the Ginza Rokusan-Tei, a restaurant in Ginza. The restaurant is located on the eighth and ninth floors of a building, and patrons on the eighth floor have a view into the kitchen, where Michiba can be seen at work. Michiba gained his "rebel" title for his innovative approach to Japanese cuisine. Following the set code of traditional Japanese cooking eventually bored Michiba, who found that he wanted to explore different types of ingredients, including more unusual items such as shark's fin and shark's stomach, which are not part of classic Japanese cuisine. His creativity stood him well as the first Iron Chef Japanese, when he could incorporate a non-Japanese ingredient such as foie gras into his style of cooking with ease and elegance. Elegance in his cooking and his presentation is important to Michiba, who feels that presentation can move a diner as much as flavor, but he also likes to include at least one dish that is simple to prepare, so that viewers think, "I could make that." Perhaps they could, but not with the heart and style of Rokusaburo Michiba. Bio: Chen Kenichi Iron Chef Chinese Chen Kenichi has been on the show from the very beginning and is the only original Iron Chef remaining. He was born in Tokyo, where his father, Chen Kenmin, was an acclaimed Chinese chef well known for his sauces. Chen Kenmin is credited with introducing Szechwan cooking to Japan, and also with creating the much loved dish "Shrimp in Chili Sauce." Kenichi inherited his father's style of "Japanese-Szechwan" cooking and also his flair for sauces. After attending Tamagawa University, Kenichi apprenticed in Shisen Hanten. He continued to develop his Szechwan cooking, which is considered among the most progressive cuisines in the world. Currently, he is responsible for running the Shisen Hanten group, which has restaurants in Akasaka (where Kenichi cooks), Ikebukuro, Kisarazu, Hiroshima, and Ogura. Because real Szechwan cooking is too spicy for many Japanese palates, Kenichi has refined many of the classic dishes to make them more accessible for diners in his restaurants. With his good-humored, expressive face, Kenichi promotes the philosophy "Cooking is love," and he offers happiness through his food. Bio: Masaharu Morimoto Born in Hiroshima, Japan, Iron Chef Japanese Masaharu Morimoto trained in a sushi restaurant before moving to the US in 1985 at the age of 30. After working in several restaurants, he joined the highly acclaimed Nobu restaurant in New York City. Morimoto polished his craft in New York's melting pot and became a state-of-the-art world chef. His cutting-edge cuisine attracted the attention of Iron Chef's producers, who invited him to become a Japanese Iron Chef. His skill, which outshines the trademark diamond stud in his left ear, has been recognized all around the world. While his cooking has Japanese roots, it's actually "global cooking" for the 21st century. His unique fusion cuisine takes advantage of Japanese color combinations and aromas and uses Chinese spices and simple Italian ingredients, while maintaining a refined French style of presentation. "Cooking is entertainment," proclaims the revolutionary. Morimoto's attitude is evident in his dishes, which retain a sense of fun and a bit of spice. Morimoto opened his own restaurant, Morimoto, in Philadelphia in 2002. Bio: Takeshi Kaga Want to meet the ultimate foodie? It's Takeshi Kaga—or at least the character he plays on Japan's cult classic, Iron Chef. Kaga is the show's MC, portrayed as a wealthy and eccentric gourmet who lives in his castle with a small army of fine chefs. The character's chief pleasure in life is staging food battles between his honored Iron Chefs and premiere chefs of the culinary world. It's the eccentric nature of Kaga's character that accounts for the flamboyantly sequined, Liberace-esque wardrobe he sports. If you think you've seen Kaga before, it may have been in a PBS special with the international cast of Les Misérables; Kaga was Jean Valjean in Japan's 1994 production. He was also the first Japanese Tony in West Side Story (1977) as well as the first Japanese Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar (1976). Bio: Masahiko Kobe Masahiko Kobe--better known as Iron Chef Italian--grew up with a love of cooking and travel. Born in Yamanashi Prefecture into a family that grew peaches and grapes, he began his culinary career in college working part-time at the Japanese restaurant Ottotto to earn money for his travels. After graduating from college, he worked in Ristorante Al Porto and then Ginza Enoteca Pinchiorri, finally journeying to Italy by himself when he was 25. After studying at several restaurants, including Claudio's (a one-star Michelin restaurant), he joined one of the world's top Italian restaurants: Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence, Italy. Thanks to his previous professional experience, Kobe became the restaurant's number two chef at the young age of 25. By the time he turned 27, this genius of Italian cooking had mastered all aspects of Enoteca Pinchiorri's kitchen and was named head chef. This Iron Chef has taken the odd nickname "Prince of Pasta" for the imaginative pasta techniques he acquired while working at famous restaurants. With youth and creativity as his weapons, he will cause winds of change to blow through Japan's world of Italian cooking. Bio: Hiroyuki Sakai When he was a young boy, Iron Chef French Hiroyuki Sakai wanted to become a chef so that he would never go hungry. Born in Kagoshima, he began learning his craft in Osaka at a restaurant in the Shin Osaka Hotel when he was 17. But Sakai began to rebel against the culinary world's feudalistic system of apprenticeship. At 19, he traveled alone to Perth, Australia, to build his skills at the Hotel Oriental. After a year and a half in Australia he returned to Japan, spending three years studying at Ginza Shiki with the late Fujio ****o, his predecessor as the leader of French cooking in Japan. He later worked as a chef at the restaurants Coco Palms in Aoyama and John Kanaya in Roppongi. When he was 38, Sakai opened his own restaurant--La Rochelle--in Aoyama. Several years later he moved the restaurant to Shibuya, where it remains today. While retaining the essence of traditional French cuisine, Sakai's groundbreaking Japanese-French style incorporates Japan's finest coooking techniques. His dishes fuse the flavors of Japan's four seasons with a French "esprit." Because of their exquisite detail and use of color, his dishes are often compared to paintings, earning him the nickname "Delacroix of French cooking." Sakai's imagination is often sparked by something he glimpses in the kitchen that day. He is truly a genius in chef's clothing.
Hear is one from another thread Mediterranean Sauté ****ake mushrooms (sliced) 6 oz. (cultivated mushrooms with the letters s h i * at the beginning....the edit function of the website kills me.....the last letter is "t" and it is a type of cultivated mushroom). Test: ****ake Edit: ****ake should have read S*h*i*take but the tigerforum profanity filter prevented a perfectly legitimate reference to a species of mushroom. Lets try the Japanese name Yama****a Edit: Filters caught that one too The filters must be full of shiite (sp) by now
i was wondering why they had alton brown on their bio site, but now i see that he will be doing commentary during iron chef america. that is cool, i am a huge alton brown fan. maybe he will take on the winner in a later match.
