Hiroyuki Sakai

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{{Infobox Chef | name = Hiroyuki Sakai | image = Iron chef hiroyuki sakai.jpg | caption = Sakai as an Iron Chef | birth_date = April 2, 1942 | birth_place = Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan | death_date = | death_place = | style = French | education = Apprenticeship | restaurants = La Rochelle (Shibuya) | television = Iron Chef }} Hiroyuki Sakai (Sakai Hiroyuki; 坂井宏行) (born April 2, 1942 in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan) is a well-known Japanese chef who specializes in French cuisine. Sakai is most famous for being the second, and last, Iron Chef French on the Japanese television show Iron Chef, first appearing at the beginning of 1994 (after Yutake Ishinabe retired) and continued his appearance in shows over nine seasons. Sakai has the best winning percentage of the Iron Chefs. His stature as the top chef on the show was formalized when he was named the "King of Iron Chefs" after emerging victorious from the show's grand finale, a tournament involving all the active Iron Chefs.

Over the course of the series, Sakai became famous for being a womanizer; his smooth personality and friendly attitude certainly help in this regard. His television trademark is a red French chef's costume; he rises into Kitchen Stadium holding a pear in his hand. He is often described as the "Delacroix of French cuisine" because of the presentation of his dishes.

When he was a young boy, Iron Chef French Hiroyuki Sakai wanted to become a chef so that he would never go hungry. Born in Kagoshima, he began learning his craft in Osaka at a restaurant in the Shin Osaka Hotel when he was 17.

Sakai began to rebel against the culinary world's feudalistic system of apprenticeship. At 19, he traveled alone to Perth, Australia, to build his skills at the Hotel Oriental. After a year and a half in Australia he returned to Japan, spending three years studying at Ginza Shiki with the late Fujio Shito, his predecessor as the leader of French cooking in Japan. He later worked as a chef at the restaurants Coco Palms in Aoyama and John Kanaya in Roppongi. When he was 38, Sakai opened his own restaurant, La Rochelle, in Aoyama. Several years later he moved the restaurant to Shibuya, where it remains today.

Sakai was originally asked to be on Iron Chef by the producer Toshihiko Matsuo following the recommendation from hotel restauranteur Kihachi Kumagai. Sakai agreed after being convinced by his staff, believing the impression that the show would air for another six months, giving him two or three appearances. The six-month tenure, as it turned out, turned into six years. The early era of Iron Chef saw Sakai being the "middle Iron Chef" along with Rokusaburo Michiba, a chef twelve years his senior, and Chen Kenichi, the youngest and least experienced of the three Iron Chefs at the time. It is often viewed by fans as the period when Iron Chef had the strongest Iron Chefs.

Reactions to Sakai's appointment to Iron Chef were largely negative amongst chefs circles, largely because of the low stature of Iron Chef among chefs at the time which led many believe would ruin their reputations as chefs, but others also believing that there was no possibility that any French dish would take less than one hour to prepare. However, as the show became more popular, chefs, judges, and fans became more supportive. It was said that Sakai's son's employer had his employees frequent the restaurant as a show of support.

Like many chefs, Sakai did not take to losing very well. Upon his first loss, he had tried to be cheerful in explaining his loss to a younger chef who also owned his own restaurant, but his entire staff was mortified upon hearing the news. His daughter was frequently being teased in school whenever Sakai had lost - although this was a fairly rare occurrence. In an effort to learn from others, Sakai often tasted food opponents had prepared, or grabbed assistants and asked them questions after the battle was over.

Outside of Iron Chef, Sakai is the owner and head chef of the restaurant La Rochelle, originally in Aoyama but now in Shibuya. The restaurant was named after La Rochelle, a city in France where Sakai had spent some time as an apprentice. Sakai is a member of the Club des Trente, an organization of French chefs in Japan.

While retaining the essence of traditional French cuisine, Sakai's groundbreaking Japanese-French style incorporates Japan's finest cooking techniques. His dishes fuse the flavors of Japan's four seasons with a French "esprit." Sakai's imagination is often sparked by something he glimpses in the kitchen that day.

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