Masaharu Morimoto

Once upon a time, "play ball," meant just that for Masaharu Morimoto. As a high school student in Hiroshima, Japan, Morimoto was well on his way to becoming a professional baseball player until a shoulder injury ended that career. Fortunately, for himself and us, he dreamed of a dual career as a sushi chef. Today, the expression is "action" and it's heard regularly on the set of the wildly popular television program, Iron Chef, where Morimoto holds the title of Japanese Iron Chef.