Milestones

DIED

Borrowing the name from his parents' coffee shop in Japan, Hiroaki (Rocky) Aoki founded the first Benihana steak house in New York City in 1964, incorporating his homeland's teppanyaki style of cooking that called on chefs to perform with a flourish in front of guests. While his company later grew to nearly 100 restaurants worldwide, Aoki's ambition wasn't limited to restaurants. A man with diverse interests, Aoki was once a member of Japan's Olympic wrestling team, a driver in the notorious (and illegal) cross-country Cannonball Run and one of the few people to traverse the Pacific in a hot-air balloon....

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