Misplaced Pages

Masako Morishita

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.

Masako Morishita is a Japanese executive chef based in Washington, D.C.. She was named as the James Beard Foundation's 2024 Emerging Chef.

Early life

Morishita was born in Kobe, Japan. Her family has worked in the restaurant business for a century. Her family's restaurant, Morishita Liquor and Bar, is run by her mother and father. Morishita's grandmother previously ran and was a cook at Morishita Liquor and Bar.

In 2013, she traveled to the United States as an exchange student in Poplar, Wisconsin.

Career

Morishita was a member of the Washington Redskins cheerleading squad from 2013 to 2018. She was the team's first non-American born captain.

In 2019, Morishita filed a lawsuit against her then ex-boyfriend chef Andrew Chiou and the business Momo Yakitori, which is an LLC legally under Chiou's name, for $66,000. Morishita's attorney stated Morishita was entitled to damages regarding the salary she was allegedly owed; however, Chiou claims that Morishita was never actually an employee at the restaurant. Also in 2019, Morishita opened her first solo pop-up, Otabe. In 2021, Maxwell Park, a Washington, D.C. wine bar, commissioned Morishita for several dishes for tastings and eventually hired her as executive chef. She worked at Maxwell Park until 2022.

After leaving Maxwell Park in 2022, she started working as executive chef at Perry's, a forty-year old sushi restaurant located in the Adams Morgan neighborhood. At Perry's, she started a new Japanese breakfast service. She is also the first Japanese woman to hold the executive chef position in Perry's history.

In 2023, Morishita was named at "Chef of the Year" by D.C. Eater.

In 2024, she was named as the James Beard Foundation's Emerging Chef. She was also nominated as a finalist by the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) in its "Rising Culinary Star of the Year" category.

She is also a member of the United States Department of State's American Culinary Corps.

References

  1. ^ "Emerging Chef Winner Masako Morishita on Achieving Her American Dream | James Beard Foundation". www.jamesbeard.org. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
  2. ^ Stern, Gary. "James Beard Award-Winning Chef Morishita Is Reimaganing Japanese Comfort Food". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
  3. ^ Adkins, Lenore (2024-04-16). "D.C.'s Newest James Beard Nominee Wows With This Unique Japanese Dish". Eater DC. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
  4. ^ "How Being a Cheerleader Prepared Masako Morishita to Be a Chef". Washingtonian (magazine). 2024-01-08. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
  5. Plumb, Tierney (2018-01-31). "Japanese Grill Momo Yakitori Plans February Opening". Eater DC. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
  6. ^ Hiatt, Gabe (2019-05-20). "Lawsuit Claims Momo Yakitori Chef Never Paid Alleged Partner". Eater DC. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
  7. ^ "Never Gets Old: Perry's Keeps It Fresh With New Chef, Iconic Drag Brunch". DCist. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
  8. Plumb, Tierney (2021-08-10). "A Rising Chef Finds a Home for Her Japanese Comfort Food at Maxwell Park". Eater DC. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
  9. "From Commanders cheerleader to 'Top Chef': How Masako Morishita is re-imagining DC's elite food scene". wusa9.com. 2024-07-11. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
  10. Limpert, Ann (2024-06-11). "Michael Rafidi and Masako Morishita Win Big at the 2024 James Beard Awards". Retrieved 2024-11-29.
  11. Plumb, Tierney (2023-10-11). "Perry's Introduces D.C. to Japanese Breakfast Service This Month". Eater DC. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
  12. Plumb, Tierney (2023-12-06). "Here Are 2023's Eater Award Winners for D.C." Eater DC. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
  13. Hunter, Marnie (2024-06-11). "These chefs and restaurants are the 2024 James Beard Award winners". CNN. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
  14. Plumb, Tierney (2024-04-09). "Here Are the 2024 Rammy Awards Finalists". Eater DC. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
  15. "Diplomatic Culinary Partnership". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
Categories: