Masahiko Kobe facts for kids

Masahiko Kobe (born October 15, 1969, died March 14, 2019) was a famous chef from Japan. He was known for cooking delicious Italian food. Many people knew him as "Iron Chef Italian" from the TV show Iron Chef. On the show, he wore a special chef's uniform. It looked like the Italian flag, with green, white, and red colors. He often held a tomato or an apple too!

Masahiko Kobe: The Iron Chef

Becoming an Iron Chef

The TV show Iron Chef had a story about Masahiko Kobe. It said he was supposed to be an Iron Chef in 1993. But the show's story said he was too young back then. To get ready, he moved to Italy for about four years. There, he trained to become a great chef. When he came back to Japan, he became the fourth Iron Chef.

In real life, Masahiko Kobe didn't work with the show before going to Italy. He knew about the show, though. He was asked to join Iron Chef near the end of his four years in Italy.

A "Junior" Iron Chef

Kobe thought he would be a challenger on the show. But he found out he was going to be an Iron Chef just days before leaving Italy. Because he became an Iron Chef so quickly, some people called him a "junior Iron Chef." This was because he had less experience than the other Iron Chefs.

His Unique Style

Masahiko Kobe had a special way of entering the Kitchen Stadium. Unlike the other chefs, he usually walked in alone. Often, a group of violin players would play music as he entered. Also, when a chef was going to compete against Kobe, the show always mentioned it clearly. This was not always done for the other Iron Chefs.

The Prince of Pasta

Kobe was known as the "Prince of Pasta." Interestingly, he lost his very first battle on the show. The main ingredient for that battle was pasta! After that, he became very careful with his time. In later battles, he would run to the ingredient stand right away. This helped him save precious seconds for cooking.

During his time as an Iron Chef, he competed in 24 battles. He won 16, lost 7, and had 1 tie. He was also the only Iron Chef to lose a dessert battle. However, he never lost two battles in a row. And after his first loss, he never lost to another Italian chef, winning all 7 of those matches.

After Iron Chef

After the Iron Chef TV series ended, Masahiko Kobe opened his own restaurant. It was called Ristorante Massa. It was located in the Ebisu area of Tokyo. In 2000, he helped another Iron Chef, Hiroyuki Sakai, in a special event. They gave a cooking lesson about salmon to students. This happened at the Culinary Institute of America in New York.

Masahiko Kobe passed away on March 14, 2019. He was 49 years old. His death was due to injuries from a fall at one of his restaurants.