Prior to being recruited by Nobu Matsuhisa to open the first Nobu in 1994, chef Masaharu Morimoto was a catcher in Japan’s minor-league baseball system. Although a shoulder injury derailed his sports dreams, he’s been hitting nothing but home runs in the kitchen, with restaurants from Philadelphia to India. A frequent competitor on the Food Network’s Iron Chef, Morimoto is set to receive the Dom Pérignon Award of Excellence at the 39th annual UNLVino, April 19 at The Mirage pool.
Q: You’re receiving the Dom Pérignon Award of Excellence at this year’s UNLVino. What does that mean to you?
A: I am honored to receive such an award and feel excited about it, because I love Las Vegas and Dom Pérignon champagne!
Q: When you moved to New York from Japan to explore Western cooking styles, what were the biggest differences you came across?
A: Seasoning. In the West, I typically try to create strong flavors because there is a difference in the tastebuds between Japanese and Americans.
Q: You said that Bobby Flay was “not a chef” during your first food battle. Have you changed your mind in the years since, considering your wins and losses to him?
A: That comment has been exaggerated by the media. Of course, Bobby is a chef, and a great chef at that.
Q: You have opened a variety of restaurants through the years. Do you favor any of them more than the others?
A: No. Every restaurant is like my child, and I do my best for every restaurant. I can’t choose only one restaurant as you cannot pick one child over the other.
Q: What are your favorite comfort foods?
A: I love okonomiyaki (a cross between a pancake and pizza with a variety of different toppings), which is a kind of Japanese comfort food from my hometown, Hiroshima.
Q: You wrote a cookbook, The New Art of Japanese Cuisine, a few years ago. Will you do another cookbook?
A: Yes, I want to write another cookbook.
Q: Do you have any plans for a Las Vegas restaurant in the near future?
A: No plans just yet, but I would love to open a Las Vegas restaurant at some point.
