Hiroyuki Sakai is a Japanese chef who specializes in French cuisine.
17 Facts About Hiroyuki Sakai
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Hiroyuki 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.
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Hiroyuki Sakai was named the "King of Iron Chefs" after emerging victorious from the show's grand finale, a tournament involving all the active Iron Chefs.
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Hiroyuki Sakai went on to defeat the top chef in the world, Alain Passard, in the final Long-Gang Chicken battle.
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Hiroyuki Sakai's television trademark is a red French chef's costume; he rises into Kitchen Stadium holding a yonashi in his hand.
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Hiroyuki Sakai is often described as the "Delacroix of French cuisine" because of the presentation of his dishes.
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Hiroyuki Sakai was originally asked to be on Iron Chef by the producer Toshihiko Matsuo following the recommendation from hotel restaurateur Kihachi Kumagai.
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Hiroyuki 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.
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The early era of Iron Chef saw Hiroyuki Sakai being the "middle Iron Chef" along with Rokusaburo Michiba, a chef twelve years his senior, and Chen Kenichi, the youngest and least experienced of the three Iron Chefs at the time.
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Hiroyuki Sakai's daughter was teased in school whenever Sakai had lost - although this was a fairly rare occurrence.
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Outside of Iron Chef, Hiroyuki Sakai is the owner and head chef of the restaurant La Rochelle, in Aoyama.
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The restaurant was named after La Rochelle, a city in France where Hiroyuki Sakai had spent some time as an apprentice.
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Hiroyuki Sakai is a member of the Club des Trente, an organization of French chefs in Japan.
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Hiroyuki Sakai was mentored by the Japan's pioneer of French Cooking, Fujio Shido for three years.
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In 2009, Hiroyuki Sakai was named a recipient of the Gendai no Meiko awards, honoring Japan's foremost artisans in various fields.
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In 2010, Hiroyuki Sakai was a guest judge for the MasterChef Australia season 2 finals week.
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In 2013, Hiroyuki Sakai was a Guest of Iron Chef for the Iron Chef Thailand.