August 27, 2008

Chef Masahar Morimoto comes to NY Anime Fest

World famous fusion chef attends Japanese pop culture event as a guest of honor

Norwalk, CT, August 27, 2008: The New York Anime Festival (NYAF) today announced Chef Masaharu Morimoto -- star of Iron Chef and Iron Chef America -- will attend its 2008 event as a Guest of Honor. The New York Anime Festival, an anime, manga, and Japanese pop culture convention from the creators of New York Comic Con, takes place September 26th through the 28th at the Jacob Javits Center in New York, NY. Chef Morimoto will attend NYAF's first day, conducting a question-and-answer session with fans from 4 to 5 PM and a book signing from 5 to 6 PM. Festival attendees are then invited to visit Chef Morimoto's eponymous restaurant -- Morimoto -- from 7 to 9 PM on the last day of the New York Anime Festival for NYAF's Official After Party. Morimoto Restaurant is located at 88 10th Avenue in Manhattan. The New York Anime Festival's After Party will take place in Morimoto's downstairs bar and is open to all NYAF attendees, exhibitors, professionals, and press.

"All of us here at the New York Anime Festival are honored to have Chef Morimoto join us this year," NYAF Show Manager Lance Fensterman said. "Masaharu Morimoto has done more to expose America to Japanese cooking than perhaps any other chef in the last decade, and we are eager to give him a platform in America's biggest city to celebrate his accomplishments and open a few more hearts, minds, and bellies to Japanese cuisine."

Chef Morimoto joins NYAF's previously-announced Guests of Honor: illustrator Yoshitaka Amano, author Hideyuki Kikuchi, voice actress Rie Tanaka, and fashion designer Baby, The Stars Shine Bright. Tickets to the New York Anime Festival are available now at newyorkanimefestival.com.

ABOUT MASAHARU MORIMOTO:
Chef Morimoto got his start in Hiroshima where he spent nearly eight years studying sushi preparation and traditional Kaiseki cuisine. At the age of 25, he opened his first restaurant and quickly distinguished himself from his peers with a unique fusion of Western and Japanese cooking techniques and ingredients. Five years later, Morimoto sold his restaurant and traveled to the United States to further explore and define his fusion philosophy. Morimoto settled in Manhattan and spent the next few years working in some of New York City's most notable Japanese restaurants, culminating in the position of Executive Chef as Nobu Matsuhisu's famed Nobu Restaurant. In 1998, Morimoto's career jumped again as he was tapped to join the wildly popular television program Iron Chef -- a move which exposed his talents to the world -- as Iron Chef Japanese. Morimoto continues to hold this title in Food Network's Iron Chef America. He owns restaurants in both Philadelphia and New York City.

ABOUT THE NEW YORK ANIME FESTIVAL:
The New York Anime Festival takes place September 26-28, 2008 at the Jacob K. Javits Center in Midtown Manhattan and is organized by Reed Exhibitions, the creators of New York Comic Con. The New York Anime Festival showcases the best of anime pop culture, including the latest anime, manga, Japanese cinema, music, and games, and anime-influenced comics, animation, and films from around the world. The festival features exclusive and extensive screenings, a gala cosplay masquerade, sessions with the some of the biggest names in anime from Japan, Asia, and America, and explores the Japanese cultural experience with displays of both traditional and cutting-edge Japanese life. NYAF's partners include Anime News Network, Bandai Entertainment, BookExpo America, Del Rey Manga, DigitalLife, Free Arts NYC, Japan Society, Karaterice, Kinokuniya Bookstore, New York Comic Con, Samurai Beat Radio, Subway Cinema, TheOtaku.com, TOKYOPOP, VIZ Pictures, and the World Cosplay Summit. Further information can be found at newyorkanimefestival.com.

ABOUT REED EXHIBITIONS:
The New York Anime Festival is operated by Reed Exhibitions, the world's leading events organizer. In 2007, Reed brought together over six million industry professionals from around the world generating billions of dollars in business. Today, Reed events are held in 38 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia and organized by 39 fully staffed offices. Reed Exhibitions is part of Reed Elsevier Group plc, a FTSE-100 company and world-leading publisher and information provider. In 2006, Reed Elsevier made adjusted profit before taxation of £1,052 million on turnover of £5,398 million.

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