Hiroyuki Sakai facts for kids
Hiroyuki Sakai
|
|
| Born | April 2, 1942 Izumi, Kagoshima, Japan |
|---|---|
| Cooking style | French |
| Education | Apprenticeship |
|
Current restaurant(s)
|
|
|
Television show(s)
Iron Chef
|
|
Hiroyuki Sakai (坂井 宏行, Sakai Hiroyuki, born April 2, 1942) is a famous Japanese chef. He is known for making amazing French cuisine. Many people know him from the TV show Iron Chef.
On Iron Chef, Chef Sakai was the "Iron Chef French." He was on the show for a long time, starting in 1994. He appeared in nine seasons of the show. He had one of the best winning records among all the Iron Chefs. He won 70 battles, lost 15, and had 1 tie!
Chef Sakai was even called the "King of Iron Chefs." This happened after he won a big tournament against other Iron Chefs. He also beat a top chef from around the world, Alain Passard.
When he appeared on TV, Chef Sakai always wore a bright red French chef's uniform. He would enter the kitchen holding a pear. People often said his dishes looked like art. Because he was so good at cooking fish, fans called him "Seafood Sakai."
Chef Sakai's Career
The producer of Iron Chef asked Chef Sakai to join the show. He thought the show would only last about six months. But it ended up lasting for six years!
At first, some chefs didn't think much of Iron Chef. They worried it might hurt their reputation. But as the show became popular, more people supported it. Chef Sakai's family and friends were very proud of him.
Chef Sakai didn't like to lose. When he lost a battle, his whole team felt sad. His daughter was even teased at school if he lost. To get better, he would taste his opponents' food. He also asked assistants questions after battles.
Outside of Iron Chef, Chef Sakai owns a restaurant called La Rochelle. It is in Aoyama, Japan. He named it after a city in France where he once trained. Chef Sakai is also part of a group of French chefs in Japan. He learned a lot from Fujio Shido, a pioneer of French cooking in Japan.
TV Appearances and Awards
After Iron Chef ended, Chef Sakai appeared in special episodes. He was in the "New York Special." There, he showed how to cook salmon at a cooking school. He also appeared on Iron Chef America : Battle of the Masters. He cooked trout and even made trout-flavored ice cream!
In 2009, Chef Sakai received a special award in Japan. It was called the Gendai no Meiko award. This award honors Japan's best artists and craftspeople.
In 2010, he was a guest judge on MasterChef Australia. He also appeared as a guest on Iron Chef Thailand in 2013.
Memorable Battles
Chef Sakai had many exciting battles on Iron Chef. Here are some of his most famous ones:
- First Battle: His very first battle was against Guy Shokr. The secret ingredient was oysters, and Chef Sakai won!
- Club Mistral Challenges: A group of chefs from "Club Mistral" challenged Sakai many times. Only one chef from that club, Kazutaka Okabe, managed to beat him.
- Battles with Toshiro Kandagawa: Chef Sakai battled Toshiro Kandagawa twice. He won their first battle in 1995 using lotus root. But Chef Kandagawa won their second battle in 2001 with red snapper.
- Overtime Battle: In 1997, Chef Sakai had an intense overtime battle against Rory Kennedy. The secret ingredient was European rabbit. They tied, so they had an overtime round. Chef Sakai won using European pigeon.
- Battles with Chen Kenichi: Chef Sakai fought against Iron Chef Chinese Chen Kenichi twice. Chen won their first match in 1995. But Chef Sakai won their most important battle in 1999. This was the final of the "King of Iron Chefs" tournament, and the ingredient was lobster.
- Vs. Alain Passard: After winning the "King of Iron Chefs" tournament, Chef Sakai faced Alain Passard. Passard was considered one of the best chefs in the world. Using Long-Gang Chicken, Chef Sakai made four amazing dishes. He won the battle and was named the number one chef in the world!
