Rocky Aoki

Rocky Aoki, born Hiroaki Aoki, was a Japanese-American restaurateur best known as the founder of the Benihana restaurant chain, which popularized teppanyaki-style dining with theatrical chef performances. He opened the first Benihana restaurant on West 56th Street in New York City in 1964 after saving money from an ice cream truck business and studying restaurant management. Aoki was also an accomplished sportsman, competing as an amateur wrestler, offshore powerboat racer, and balloonist, notably crewing the Double Eagle V across the Pacific Ocean in 1981. He died on July 10, 2008, at the age of 69 from pneumonia.