Nobuyuki Matsuhisa was born in Saitama, Japan, and trained as a sushi chef in Tokyo. After running restaurants in Peru, Argentina and Alaska, Nobu opened his first restaurant, Matsuhisa, in Beverly Hills in 1987. Six years later, Robert De Niro persuaded Nobu to open NOBU in New York. There are now thirteen Nobu restaurants in New York, Los Angeles, Malibu, Aspen, Las Vegas, London, Milan and Tokyo.