Rocky aoki

Rocky Aoki had an amazing life. For one, he dreamt up Benihana, rocky aoki iconic teppanyaki restaurant where Americans go to celebrate birthdays and chefs flip shrimp tails into their shirt pockets. But the globe-trotting restaurateur also raced boats, cars and hot air balloons. He produced Broadway plays and founded a porn magazine, rocky aoki.

He ran a soft-porn magazine, called Muhammad Ali a pal, cycled through romantic interests the way some restaurants run through specials, and relaxed by racing boats and piloting a hot-air balloon. After one of his brushes with death, he awoke in a hospital room with his then-current wife on one side of the bed and his girlfriend at the time on the other. The women had not met previously. The patient lived to tell jokes about how he talked his way out of the situation. Most amazingly, those traits only begin to tell the story of Rocky Aoki, the musician-turned-wrestler-turned-nightclub-impresario who made his money by founding the Benihana teppanyaki chain. If restaurant characters had their own hall of fame, a whole wing could be devoted to the Japanese immigrant who eventually died from lingering after-effects of his thrill-seeking.

Rocky aoki

Published: August 20, Branson, Musk , Trump, Hefner. All playboy entrepreneurs with egos the size of Texas, an instinct to go big, and, of course, an obsession with cold, hard cash. They merely borrowed from one of the original tycoon bad boys; a man one part Chuck Norris legend, and two parts jheri curl. It also launched a bitter legal battle against 6 of his 7 children, that left them without a dime from the Benihana fortune. Legend has it that Yunosuke was walking through the wreckage when he spotted a tiny red flower amidst the soot and destruction — he decided to name his new cafe after the plant: Benihana. But his showman father balked at the idea, believing spectacle is what puts American butts in the seats. So, at just 25, Rocky asked his veteran chefs to throw in the bells and whistles — prepare meals over an iron griddle, crack jokes and eggs with customers, and set onion volcanoes ablaze. Japanese food was rare in the US at the time, so Rocky Aoki kept his menu simple. Rocky capitalized on time in the spotlight, opening new restaurants in Chicago, Honolulu, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Over the next few decades, he dipped his toe into every market imaginable, from pro sports attempting to purchase the San Francisco Giants to Broadway productions.

It traveled a record 5, miles 9, km. Menu Feed.

Sign In Sign In. New Customer? Create account. Rocky Aoki was born on 9 October in Tokyo, Japan. Add photos, demo reels Add to list.

He came to this country to compete as a wrestler. He remained here to become an American and international business tycoon. Rocky Aoki already had won national wrestling championships in Japan. A seat steakhouse with a limited menu and fresh food, his Benihana Restaurant offered a preparation technique which caught on quickly. Within three months, Benihana became the most talked-about restaurant in New York.

Rocky aoki

We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. Ten years after his death, and over half a century after he introduced the U. As he wandered around the bombed-out streets of Tokyo, Yunosuke Aoki stumbled across a lone red safflower blooming from beneath the rubble. America had firebombed the city to a near-crisp in a campaign carried out over the course of a single night. For Yunosuke, that safflower, or benihana, stood as an auspicious symbol in the wreckage, a small sign of hope sprouting in a debris field. He and his wife, Katsu, had opened a coffee shop called Ellington, named after Duke, a decade earlier in that same stretch of Tokyo known as Nihonbashi. Inside, they played American jazz for patrons.

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Business Insider. BY Erika Fry. It crash-landed Rocky awoke from a hospital bed in San Francisco to find his then-wife, Chizuru Aoki, and his mistress, Pamela Hillberger, standing over him their first time meeting. Latest in Features. Retrieved February 16, He was the founder of the Japanese cuisine restaurant chain Benihana , and Genesis magazine. Add demo reel with IMDbPro. When did Rocky Aoki die? Most amazingly, those traits only begin to tell the story of Rocky Aoki, the musician-turned-wrestler-turned-nightclub-impresario who made his money by founding the Benihana teppanyaki chain. Sign up for free. But his showman father balked at the idea, believing spectacle is what puts American butts in the seats. He was also the father of musician Steve Aoki and model and actress Devon Aoki.

Rocky Aoki, who sought to offer diners a sense of magic and entertainment at his Japanese steakhouse Benihana, has died after complications from cancer. He was

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