The challenger is the head chef at a members only Japanese restaurant in Los Angeles. He watches the Iron Chef episodes that air on TV in California. (Pre-Food Network IC days.) He was born in Los Angeles, but he went to Japan to live with his grandparents when he was 6 months old. He was part of a comedy duo in his teens, but he had to give that up. And while he is an American, he wishes he could be a chef in Japan. The theme ingredients cost about $4,000. Judges: Junichi Ishida (Actor), Mayuko Takata (Actress), Asako Kishi (Critic)