MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA – His name is drawn on the napkins and chopsticks at his more than 30 restaurants around the world, but chef and restaurateur Nobuyuki “Nobu” Matsuhisa prefers to stay out of the limelight.
“Normally I am the chef. Today is a tie and suit and I feel bad,” he said while attending a large tribute dinner, referring to his preference of being in the kitchen.
Nobu, as he prefers to be called, was honored Saturday at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival in Florida for his fusion cuisine that blends Japanese and South American ingredients.
“I’ve been cooking all my life. Life was not easy, but finally I’m here,” he said.
Life has indeed been busy — and rather successful — for the Japanese-born chef, who started cooking at age 18. He opened his first restaurant, Matsuhisa, in Beverly Hills in 1987 and today has 31 establishments in more than two dozen cities around the world, from the Bahamas to Beijing. Nobu Tribeca in New York was named The Best New Restaurant by The James Beard Foundation in 1995.
The chef’s latest venture extends into the hotel industry with the recently opened Nobu Hotel Restaurant and Lounge Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, said to be the largest Nobu eatery to date. Nobu partnered with Robert De Niro on the project, as he has done since 1994 with other establishments.
“Before I met him, I had restaurants with other partners but never success,” Nobu said. “But with Bob, he respects me. He understands my work. We drink and talk with each other. We also fight, but this communication makes for a nice partnership.”
One of his fondest memories is cooking for Princess Diana before her death in 1997. The soft-spoken chef remembers walking up to her table to introduce himself, but she already knew who he was from magazine articles and reviews.
“I was so proud of that,” Nobu said of that moment.
Even today, he takes pride in seeing his customers smile at his restaurants, or cases like the 85-year-old man who visited his Las Vegas venture and sent him a thank you card. He says that is what makes him want to continue cooking.
“Cooking is my life. And still I am thinking of new dishes,” he explained.
Nobu plans to slow things down — eventually — so he can travel more to check out different foods and spend more time with his family. Until then, he wanted to share a special message to his friends and family: “Thank you is a short word. But I would like to thank you from my heart.”
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