Benihana
History
Hiroaki “Rocky” Aoki was born on October 9, 1938 in Tokyo, Japan. He was the first born son of Yunosuke Aoki, a samurai descendant and his wife Katsu Aoki. Rocky’s parents met at Yunosuke’s dance class where he taught tap. Yunosuke taught himself to tap dance watching Fred Astaire movies. They married and opened a Jazz coffee shop, which they named Ellington after their favorite jazz musician Duke Ellington. Yunosuke changed the theme of the coffee shop to a sweet shop specializing in desserts during the war. There was a strong demand for sweets and Yunosuke knew how to seize the moment. Yunosuke met a talented chef,Fujisake, who inspired him to open a full service restaurant.
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