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Akira Back

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Korean chef
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Akira Back
BornSung Ook Back
1974
Seoul, Korea
NationalityKorean-American
OccupationChef
Websitewww.akiraback.com

Akira Back (born Sung Ook Back in 1974 in Seoul, Korea), is a chef.

Early life

Back was born and raised in Seoul, Korea. He took a serious interest in baseball at a young age and decided to move to Japan to pursue it. Back's baseball career ended shortly afterward, when his father's business took their family to the U.S. in 1989, eventually ending up in Aspen, Colorado.

At age 15, Back began his snowboarding career and spent 7 years on the professional snowboarding circuit. He appeared in various extreme sports movies. During the same period, he worked at the local Japanese restaurants to supplement his earnings. This motivated him to pursue a culinary career. He enrolled at The Art Institute in Colorado to study at the International Culinary School. It is also stated that he studied under Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto.

Culinary career

Lounge at Yellowtail Japanese Restaurant & Lounge in Las Vegas

After ending his snowboarding career, Back went on to study at the International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Colorado. In 1993, he began his first culinary job working at Kenichi in Aspen as sushi prep cook. He was later recruited to Kenichi in Austin, Texas and then in Kona, Hawaii, where he worked as the opening chef.

In 2008, Back debuted Yellowtail Japanese Restaurant & Lounge, Chef Akira Back at Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. Featured dishes include Big Eye Tuna Pizza, Lobster Carpaccio, and Kobe Beef Tataki, among others. Yellowtail's celebrity clientele includes Taylor Swift, Eva Longoria, Wilmer Valderrama, Pink & Carey Hart, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Kelly Osbourne, David Arquette, Ryan Kewanten and Joe Jonas.

In 2017, Back's Dosa earned a Michelin Star. He has opened restaurants under his name, Akira Back, in different countries such as the US, UAE and South Korea.

Iron Chef

During the 2006 Food & Wine Magazine Classic in Aspen, a producer of Iron Chef America approached Back after tasting a menu that Back had presented. On March 16, 2008, Back appeared on the show together with Bobby Flay, saying that he loved it and "grew up with it".

References

  1. Group, Hakkasan. "Las Vegas Celebrity Chef Akira Back Awarded Michelin Star for Acclaimed Restaurant, DOSA in Hometown of Seoul, South Korea". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). {{cite press release}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
  2. adminfrenchefs (2017-12-15). "Discover Korean Michelin star Chef Akira Back on FRENCHEFS". FRENCHEFS. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  3. ^ "Akira Back on why Dubai is the "perfect choice" for his Middle East expansion". The Pro Chef Middle East. 2018-08-08. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  4. ^ "Iron Chef - Akira Back vs Bobby Flay". Iron Chef America. Season 6. Episode 81. 2008-03-17.
  5. Stapleton, Susan (10 November 2017). "Akira Back's Dosa Earns a Michelin Star". Eater Vegas.
  6. Tiu, Cheryl. "Celebrity Chef Akira Back Opens His First Florida Restaurant In Delray Beach". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
  7. "Akira Back to open sleek new 50th floor restaurant in DIFC". What's On. 2022-10-13. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
  8. "THE DUBAI CHAPTER BY RENOWNED CHEF AKIRA BACK TO ITS PREMIER F&B OFFERINGS". Hotel News ME. 2022-12-09. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
  9. Anwer, Laraib. "Restaurant Review: A pop-up dining experience at Dasha". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
  10. Stonington, Joel (2007-09-07). "Local man ready to throw down on 'Iron Chef'". The Aspen Times. Retrieved 2008-03-17.
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