Nobu Matsuhisa, a world-renowned Japanese chef, has transformed his passion for sushi into a global culinary empire by skillfully blending ingredients and techniques from Japanese and Peruvian cuisines. His Nobu restaurant chain, famous for its fusion cuisine and exceptional quality, has expanded internationally, becoming a symbol of innovation and success in the dining industry.
Nobu Matsuhisa was born in 1949 in Saitama, Japan, and began his culinary journey at the age of 17 at "Matsuei-sushi" in Tokyo. Starting with humble tasks like dishwashing and delivery, Nobu seized every opportunity to learn everything he could about sushi preparation, becoming an expert sushi chef. His career took a turn at 24, during a work experience in Lima, where he began experimenting with the fusion of Peruvian and Japanese cuisine ingredients.
This innovative combination of flavors attracted the attention of critics and enthusiasts, marking the beginning of his rise in the culinary world. In 1977, Nobu moved to Los Angeles, working in renowned restaurants like "Mitsuwa" and "Oshou". Ten years later, in 1987, he opened his restaurant "Matsuhisa" on La Cienega Boulevard in Beverly Hills, becoming a landmark in dining.
Traveling to Alaska, Argentina, and California allowed Nobu to further refine his art and enrich his cuisine with new ideas. This culinary excellence culminated in the creation of a restaurant empire specializing in sushi and fusion cuisine. In 1993, he founded the Nobu Hospitality Group with the opening the following year of the first “Nobu” restaurant in New York in partnership with Robert De Niro, followed by others in cities like Milan, London, Greece, Dallas, Tokyo, Honolulu, Moscow, Dubai, Budapest, and Monte Carlo, totaling more than 50 locations worldwide. In 1995, Nobu received the James Beard Foundation Award, earning several nominations in subsequent years.
The Nobu Hospitality Group also includes just under 15 hotels in cities such as Chicago, Las Vegas, Malibu, Manila, Marbella, Miami Beach, Palo Alto, Warsaw, Perth, Doha, Barcelona, and London.
Furthermore, Nobu has also innovated with pop-up restaurants, temporary structures where he experiments with new ideas to enrich his dishes. In his autobiography, Nobu reveals the secret of his success: the understanding of three fundamental areas - Japanese gastronomy, the integration of different cultures, and knowledge of the restaurant business sector - which have contributed to the international fame of the “Nobu” restaurant chain.
His friendship with De Niro also led Matsuhisa to Hollywood: in Casino (1995) alongside partner Robert De Niro, in Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002), and in Memoirs of a Geisha (2005).
