Where are the original Iron Chefs now? Before Netflix rebooted the 1990s Japanese reality show that inspired Masterchef and Hell’s Kitchen, its star chefs opened restaurants worldwide

Jun 12 , 2022

As Netflix reboots the kitchen classic, we ask where are the original Iron Chefs, such as Hiroyuki Sakai, Chen Kenichi and Yutaka Ishinabe, are today. Photos: Ginza Miyako Japanese Restaurant, @Shisen Hanten by Chen Kentaro/Facebook, @BoneJail/Twitter

The original 1993 series featured Chen Kenichi as Iron Chef Chinese, Yutaka Ishinabe then Hiroyuki Sakai as Iron Chef French, and Masahiko Kobe as Iron Chef Italian

Masaharu Morimoto and Sakai subsequently appeared on other cooking shows such as Top Chef and Iron Chef America, as well as opening restaurants in Japan and elsewhere

The heady scent of seasonings and spices is back in the “iron chef” kitchen as the series returns to Netflix with a reboot called Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend.

Fans of the original Japanese series from 1993-99 know that this groundbreaking show started with Asian master chefs cooking up a delicious storm in a reality TV format that went on to inspire Iron Chef series around the globe.

Years later, many of those chefs are still making waves with their expertise, helming restaurant chains serving great food and showing young apprentice chefs how to realise their culinary dreams. For those curious about what these famous old chefs have been up to, here’s how they are spending their days today.

Rokusaburo Michiba – Iron Chef Japanese

Rokusaburo Michiba at work on the original Iron Chef series. Photo: Iron Chef/Fuji Television

The very first Japanese iron chef, Rokusaburo Michiba, was already a successful restaurateur before his debut on the show.

Rokusaburo Michiba, 91, continues to pass on his knowledge of gastronomy. Photo: Japanese Food Recipe-Iron Chef Michiba/YouTube

After he retired from the show in the late 90s, Michiba made frequent special appearances as a guest or as a sponsor of competitors who were his apprentices. The show also had a special episode called “The Legend of Michiba” dedicated to him in season four.

Outside Iron Chef, Michiba continued to operate his several restaurants throughout Japan, the most notable being Kaishoku Michiba, a traditional Japanese restaurant with the Iron Chef’s famous fusion cooking style. He still oversees his restaurants and works as a chef at 91 years of age.

This celebrity chef was also featured in a manga series called Kando O Retsuden. In volume two, entitled “Michiba Rokusaburō Monogatari”, Michiba was depicted as the main character in all his glory.