Golf Iron Chef
The day after playing in his first PGA Tour pro-am at the Sony Open, Iron Chef Morimoto will cook at Sony’s gala in the Hawaii Convention Center, his first ‘banquet’ experience
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The Food Channel star is cooking for the Sony Open’s gala, and playing in the pro-am
Iron Chef Morimoto begins, “My first name is Masaharu. When I first open restaurant, I thought I would name it Mori or Moto or Masa or Haru. I thought, is Morimoto too long? But we did it.”
Indeed he did. Today, Morimoto is a powerful brand that is going global. There are seven Morimoto restaurants, including the latest in Waikiki Edition hotel.
Mexico City and Beijing are next. And he’s about to open his first non-Morimoto-style restaurant in New York called Tribeca Canvas. This one has no sushi or sashimi on the menu. Can Morimoto cross over to comfort food?
The famous Food Network chef is about to make another breakthrough in a highly competitive field. His appetite for challenge seems never ending. He has a lot on his plate, but all of it will have to wait till he gets off the golf course at Waialae.
Priorities. Priorities.
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Masaharu Morimoto, 55, is constantly on the move. We are fortunate to catch him on a Honolulu stopover for this year’s Sony Open. He plays in the pro-am Jan. 12 and the next night cooks for 1,000 guests at an exclusive awards dinner in the Hawaii Convention Center.
Both are “firsts” for him. “First time, PGA Tour,” Morimoto says proudly about being invited to play in the Sony pro-am, paired with one of the PGA Tour pros. He’s been practicing at Waialae Country Club, site of the Sony Open tournament, and at Oahu Country Club. From the way he swung a big spatula during MidWeek‘s photo shoot, the guy has a good swing.
The awards dinner will be another first - Morimoto has never before cooked for a banquet venue. Mass feeding is not the MO at Morimoto’s intimate restaurants.
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“First time I do,” he says in his characteristic but charming broken English. “I do as much as I can like restaurant.”
Originality will reign supreme in each course. (What do dining and golf have in common? Courses, of course.) Invited VIP guests will be treated to a five-course Morimoto menu of tuna sashimi, duck and oxtail soup, whole lobster, roast beef and tropical semi-freddo (semi-frozen) dessert. Each course is paired with Morimoto sake and other beverages, such as special blend Morimoto green tea brought in from Japan. Prior to dinner, guests will savor seven types of Morimoto-style hors d’oeuvres.
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