Roy Yamaguchi was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan. He is revered for his culinary skills and is known as the innovator of Hawaiian inspired cuisine, an eclectic blend of California-French-Japanese cooking traditions created with fresh ingredients from the Islands.[1] He was honored with the James Beard "Best Pacific Northwest Chef" Award in 1993.[2] Yamaguchi has earned honors including California Chef of the Year (California Restaurant Writers Association), Gault-Millau Top 40 (Forbes FYI), Top 50 Cuisines in America (Conde Nast Traveler), Fine Dining Hall of Fame (Nation's Restaurant News) and the John Heckathorn Dining Excellence Award (Honolulu Magazine).