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is a Japanese
chef A chef is a trained professional cook and tradesman who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term ''chef de cuisine'' (), the director or head of a kitche ...
who specializes in
French cuisine French cuisine () is the cooking traditions and practices from France. It has been influenced over the centuries by the many surrounding cultures of Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Belgium, in addition to the food traditions of the re ...
. Sakai is best known as the second, final, and longest-serving
Iron Chef is a Japanese television cooking show produced by Fuji Television. The series, which premiered on October 10, 1993, was a stylized cook-off featuring guest chefs challenging one of the show's resident "Iron Chefs" in a timed cooking battle bui ...
French on the
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
ese television show ''
Iron Chef is a Japanese television cooking show produced by Fuji Television. The series, which premiered on October 10, 1993, was a stylized cook-off featuring guest chefs challenging one of the show's resident "Iron Chefs" in a timed cooking battle bui ...
'', first appearing at the beginning of 1994 (after
Yutaka Ishinabe was the first French chef in the Japanese cooking show Iron Chef. He appeared from the first episode in 1993, sporting a green outfit while holding a bell pepper. Over the years, he has earned the nickname of "The Artist" for being creative with ...
retired) and continuing to appear over the show's nine further seasons. Sakai has the third best winning percentage of the Iron Chefs, trailing only his Iron Chef French predecessor, Yutaka Ishinabe and the first Iron Chef Japanese
Rokusaburo Michiba is a Japanese cuisine chef most notable as the first Japanese Iron Chef on the television series ''Iron Chef''. He was on the show from its inception in 1993 until his retirement on his 65th birthday, January 3, 1996. After his retirement as a ...
. He was named the "King of Iron Chefs" after emerging victorious from the show's grand finale, a tournament involving all the active Iron Chefs. He went on to defeat the top chef in the world,
Alain Passard Alain Passard (; born 4 August 1956 at La Guerche-de-Bretagne, France) is a French chef and owner of the three michelin star restaurant L'Arpège in Paris. The son of musicians, Passard plays the saxophone. History and mentors Alain Passard ...
, in the final Long-Gang Chicken battle. His record on Iron Chef is 70–15–1. His television trademark is a red French chef's costume; he rises into
Kitchen Stadium is a Japanese television cooking show produced by Fuji Television. The series, which premiered on October 10, 1993, was a stylized cook-off featuring guest chefs challenging one of the show's resident "Iron Chefs" in a timed cooking battle bui ...
holding a
quince The quince (; ''Cydonia oblonga'') is the sole member of the genus ''Cydonia'' in the Malinae subtribe (which also contains apples and pears, among other fruits) of the Rosaceae family (biology), family. It is a deciduous tree that bears hard ...
in his hand. He is often described as the "
Delacroix Delacroix is a French surname that derives from ''de la Croix'' ("of the Cross"). It may refer to: People * Caroline Delacroix (1883–1945), French-Romanian mistress of Leopold II of Belgium * Charles-François Delacroix (1741–1805), ...
of
French cuisine French cuisine () is the cooking traditions and practices from France. It has been influenced over the centuries by the many surrounding cultures of Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Belgium, in addition to the food traditions of the re ...
" because of the presentation of his dishes. His formidable record in fish challenges led to fans of the show giving him the nickname, "Seafood Sakai".


Career

Sakai was originally asked to be on ''Iron Chef'' by the producer Toshihiko Matsuo following the recommendation from hotel restaurateur Kihachi Kumagai. Sakai agreed after being convinced by his staff, believing the impression that the show would air for another six months, giving him two or three appearances. The six-month tenure, as it turned out, turned into six years. The early era of ''Iron Chef'' saw Sakai being the "middle Iron Chef" along with
Rokusaburo Michiba is a Japanese cuisine chef most notable as the first Japanese Iron Chef on the television series ''Iron Chef''. He was on the show from its inception in 1993 until his retirement on his 65th birthday, January 3, 1996. After his retirement as a ...
, a chef twelve years his senior, and
Chen Kenichi , whose name is often romanized Chin Kenichi in Japanese sources, is a chef best known for his role as the Iron Chef Chinese on the television series ''Iron Chef'' (料理の鉄人). Nicknamed The Szechuan Sage, he wears a yellow outfit and ris ...
, the youngest and least experienced of the three Iron Chefs at the time. It is often viewed by fans as the period when ''Iron Chef'' had the strongest Iron Chefs. Reactions to Sakai's appointment to Iron Chef were largely negative amongst chefs circles, largely because of the low stature of ''Iron Chef'' among chefs at the time which led many to believe would ruin their reputations as chefs, but others also believing that there was no possibility that any French dish would take less than one hour to prepare. However, as the show became more popular, chefs, judges, and fans became more supportive. It was said that Sakai's son's employer had his employees frequent the restaurant as a show of support. Like many chefs, Sakai did not take to losing very well. Upon his first loss, he had tried to be cheerful in explaining his loss to a younger chef who also owned his own restaurant, but his entire staff was mortified upon hearing the news. His daughter was teased in school whenever Sakai had lost - although this was a fairly rare occurrence. In an effort to learn from others, Sakai often tasted food opponents had prepared, or grabbed assistants and asked them questions after the battle was over. Outside of ''Iron Chef'', Sakai is the owner and head chef of the
restaurant A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...
''La Rochelle'', in Aoyama. The restaurant was named after
La Rochelle La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. With ...
, a city in France where Sakai had spent some time as an apprentice. Sakai is a member of the Club des Trente, an organization of French chefs in Japan. Sakai was mentored by the Japan's pioneer of French Cooking,
Fujio Shido was a Japanese chef who played an important role in introducing French cuisine to Japan. When he was in his early 20s, he stowed away on a ship going to London, where he was deported. However, on his trip back to Japan, he escaped the ship when i ...
for three years. After the series' run, Sakai appeared in several ''Iron Chef'' specials. In the "New York Special," he gave a presentation to the
Culinary Institute of America Culinary arts are the cuisine arts of food preparation, cooking and presentation of food, usually in the form of meals. People working in this field – especially in establishments such as restaurants – are commonly called chefs or ...
on the preparation of salmon, assisted by Iron Chef Italian
Masahiko Kobe was a celebrity chef specializing in Italian cuisine, most notable as the "Iron Chef Italian" on the television series ''Iron Chef'', where he appeared wearing a chef's uniform decorated like the Italian Flag (green, white and red) and holding a ...
. He also appeared on '' Iron Chef America : Battle of the Masters,'' where he lost a
trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salmoni ...
battle to
Bobby Flay Robert William Flay (born December 10, 1964), is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur, and reality television personality. Flay is the owner and executive chef of several restaurants and franchises, including Bobby's Burger Palace, Bobby's ...
(during which he created a trout-flavored
ice cream Ice cream is a sweetened frozen food typically eaten as a snack or dessert. It may be made from milk or cream and is flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit such as str ...
) and teamed up with
Mario Batali Mario Francesco Batali (born September 19, 1960) is an American chef, writer, and restaurateur. Batali co-owned restaurants in New York City; Las Vegas; Los Angeles; and Newport Beach, California; Boston; Singapore; Westport, Connecticut; and ...
in a seafood battle. In 2009, Sakai was named a recipient of the Gendai no Meiko (Contemporary Master Craftsmen) awards, honoring Japan's foremost artisans in various fields. In 2010, Sakai was a guest judge for the '' MasterChef Australia''
season 2 Season 2 may refer to: * ''Season 2'' (Infinite album) * '' 2econd Season'' See also

* {{disambig ...
finals week. In 2013, Sakai was a Guest of Iron Chef for the ''Iron Chef Thailand''.


Memorable battles

*Guy Shokr – Sakai's debut battle which he defeated Shokr with oysters as the theme *Club Mistral – This club headed by Masahiro Miyamoto, challenged Sakai on several occasions. However, only one challenger, Kazutaka Okabe, defeated Sakai (in Battle Lamb) on June 9, 1995. All of the other challengers, including Isao Yanagidate (caviar), Tetasuya Shimada (truffle), and Seiji Toyoshima (milk) lost to Sakai over the span of 3 years. The Iron Chef's record against Mistral is 3-1 (not including Iron Chef Ishinabe's win). *Rory Kennedy – Iron Chef Sakai had his only overtime battle against this man on January 24, 1997. Kennedy, a gibier chef, was handed the theme European Rabbit. Sakai managed to force overtime, tied at 71 points each. In the overtime session, Sakai used European Pigeon to defeat Kennedy. *Alain Passard – After Passard tied Iron Chef Nakamura in the Foie Gras battle in the 1997 World Cup, Sakai faced him after winning the King of Iron Chefs Tournament in 1999. Using Long-Gang Chicken, he made four dishes that impressed the judges and won him a 3-2 judges decision to be the #1 chef in the world. *Iron Chef Chinese Chen Kenichi – Sakai battled Chen two times, once for the 1995 Mr. Iron Chef Semifinal using Chicken (losing to Chen on a 3-2 decision), and for the King of Iron Chefs Tournament Final in 1999 using Homard Lobster (defeated Chen by a 3-2 decision, with a deciding vote by former Iron Chef Michiba). *Toshiro Kandagawa – Battled Sakai twice, once in 1995 for the 100th Challengers special using Lotus Root (losing to Sakai), and once in 2001 for the 21st Century Special using Red Snapper (defeating Sakai).


References


External links


La Rochelle
restaurant
Official Blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sakai, Hiroyuki 1942 births Living people Chefs of French cuisine Japanese chefs People from Kagoshima Prefecture