Latest news with #Morishita
Asahi Shimbun
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Asahi Shimbun
NFL cheerleader-turned chef is stirring up U.S. restaurant scene
Four years after swapping her pompoms for a chef's knife, Masako Morishita earned one of the most prestigious accolades in American dining: a James Beard Foundation Award. In 2024 she was honored in the Emerging Chef category, winning what amounts to an Academy Award of cooking. Born and raised in Kobe, Morishita's journey was anything but conventional. As a teenager studying abroad in the United States, she discovered cheerleading for the first time. Enthralled by the energy and athleticism it requires, she returned to Japan determined to master the sport. She spent more than a decade in grueling training. After multiple auditions, Morishita achieved her dream when in 2013 she earned a spot on the cheerleading squad for Washington's NFL team–now known as the Commanders. By her fifth season she had made history as the team's first overseas-born captain. When she eventually hung up her uniform, Morishita poured that same relentless energy into a new passion: food. She brought Japanese comfort cuisine to Washington, D.C., by hosting pop-ups in vacant storefronts and serving dishes like fragrant curry and pork shabu-shabu, a popular hot pot featuring paper-thin slices of premium pork. As her reputation grew, a local wine bar invited her to put her talents on a larger stage. About three years ago Morishita took a job at a Japanese restaurant, but she found the work creatively stifling. The kitchen operated on a rigid menu and relied on frozen "shumai" dumplings. She persuaded the owner to let her introduce down-home Japanese dishes with an imaginative twist. Diners loved them. Morishita's breakout creation, miso butter clams, drew inspiration from a childhood memory of her father topping a bowl of rice with miso soup and a small pat of butter, letting the flavors melt together in comforting simplicity. Remarkably, Morishita never went to culinary school. Her secret weapon, she says, is her finely honed palate that developed when she grew up in Kobe. Her family ran a sake shop with a lively standing bar. Morishita's unusual journey, blending elite athletics, entrepreneurial grit and culinary creativity, has put her in the U.S. media. The State Department tasked her with preparing a luncheon during an official visit by former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to Washington. Moreover, Morishita is still a rarity among American restaurateurs: female and an immigrant in a field dominated by men. She sees that uniqueness as a strength, using her visibility to challenge stereotypes about Japanese cuisine and to champion what she calls 'cultural diplomacy through food.' From the grassroots up, she is carving out her own path, one inventive dish at a time.
United News of India
03-05-2025
- Sport
- United News of India
Legia beats Pogon to win Polish Cup
Warsaw, May 3 (UNI) Legia Warsaw claimed the Polish Cup after a thrilling 4-3 victory over Pogon Szczecin at the National Stadium here on Friday. Legia made a strong start, launching an aggressive attack from the very first whistle. In the 13th minute, Ryoya Morishita dribbled past two opponents on the right wing and delivered a precise pass to Luquinhas, who tapped the ball into the net from close range to put his team ahead. Led by coach Goncalo Feio, the players did not slow down. In the 25th minute, they had a perfect opportunity to double their lead when the referee pointed to the penalty spot after goalkeeper Valentin Cojocaru fouled Radovan Pankov. However, the 29-year-old goalkeeper redeemed himself by saving Marc Gual's penalty effort. Pogon responded with a shot from Rafal Kurzawa in the 32nd minute, which hit the crossbar from long range. Four minutes before the break, Robert Kolendowicz's team equalized after a stunning cross from Kamil Grosicki allowed Danijel Loncar to score with a well-placed header, making it 1-1. The second half began in the best possible way for Legia. In the 46th minute, Pawel Wszolek's shot was blocked, but Morishita found the rebound and powered a shot past Cojocaru to restore the lead for Legia. In the 64th minute, Feio's team showcased its quality once again. After a brilliant through pass from Morishita, Ilya Shkurin dribbled past Cojocaru and scored into the empty net to give Legia a two-goal advantage. Pogon fought relentlessly to score its second goal just three minutes later through Efthymis Koulouris, whose shot deflected off Ruben Vinagre and into the net after a low pass from the left wing. In the 85th minute, Vinagre made amends as he confidently curled a precise shot into the far post to make the score 4-2. Despite Kacper Smolinski giving Pogon some hope of a comeback as he collected a rebound to score during stoppage time, Legia secured a 4-3 victory. This victory marked Legia Warsaw's 21st Polish Cup triumph in the club's history, while Pogon suffered its second consecutive final defeat after having lost to Wisla Krakow in the previous edition. UNI XINHUA GNK
The Mainichi
25-04-2025
- Sport
- The Mainichi
Baseball: Shota Morishita's 2-run bomb gives Tigers 4-2 win over BayStars
YOKOHAMA (Kyodo) -- Shota Morishita crushed a tie-breaking, two-run homer to give the Hanshin Tigers a 4-2 comeback win against the DeNA BayStars in Central League baseball on Thursday. The go-ahead blast followed Koji Chikamato's double and Takumu Nakano's game-tying single as the Tigers rallied with two out in the top of the seventh inning at Yokohama Stadium. Morishita went after his first pitch from right-hander Kohei Morihara (0-1), a fastball high in the zone, launching it several rows back into the stands behind left field. "I'm willing to swing aggressively, that's my strength," Morishita said. "I told myself I couldn't be passive in that situation." Shugo Maki broke the ice for the Japan Series champion BayStars in the bottom of the first with his RBI, which was immediately followed by Keita Sano's run-scoring double to make it 2-0. Seishiro Sakamoto got the Tigers on the board with his RBI groundout in the second inning. Chikamoto finished 4-for-5, while reliever Yuta Iwasada (1-0) earned his first win of the season after a scoreless sixth inning for Hanshin.
