Nobu & Christophe Navarre Tribute Dinner

Photography by Seth Browarnik on February 26th, 2013 in Celebrity, Lifestyle

Daniel Boulud, Martha Stewart, & Nobu Matsuhisa

Miami Beach, FL – February 23, 2013 – It was a stellar night for the biggest of the stars in both the food and wine worlds. A giant, gorgeous ballroom at the Loews Miami Beach was filled with chandeliers, perfectly set tables with vibrant flower arrangements, sparkling dining ware, and a top-notch set menu of incredible food. All of this was put on Saturday night in honor of two of the greatest, most influential names in the restaurant and beverage industries. This year’s annual Tribute Dinner for the South Beach Wine and Food Festival celebrated Nobu Matsuhisa, the founder of Nobu restaurants around the globe, and Christophe Navarre, CEO of Moët Hennessy. The mistress of ceremonies for the evening was none other than the fabulous domestic goddess herself- Martha Stewart. The who’s who of the industry packed in for this memorable evening and got to experience a unique collaboration of a three-star menu prepared by the chefs themselves first hand, of which included: Daniel Boulud, Thomas Buckley, Frederic Delaire, and other greats.

Here’s little bit about these two amazing honorees. Nobu Matsuhisa opened his first restaurant, Matsuhisa, in Beverly Hills in 1987 and became popular with actors and celebrities. He then partnered with Robert DeNiro to open a Tribeca location, which was an essential key to growing the empire into what it is today. Nobu has become known for blending traditional Japanese style food with South American ingredients, of which his most famous dish is the black cod with miso. There’s now 35 restaurants around the world to date, and he just opened the first Nobu Hotel & Restaurant in Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas. Nobu is an iconic go-to restaurant in any of the cities lucky enough to have one.

Christophe Navarre joined Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy in 1997 as President and CEO of JAS Hennessy & Co, building the company’s world leadership in the cognac industry. In 2001 he was appointed CEO of Moët Hennessy, the Wines and Spirits division of LVMH. He is also a board member of the Comité Colbert and a member of the Heineken Advisory Board as well as Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor, a Commandeur de l’Ordre du Mérite Agricole and an Officier de l’Ordre de la Couronne in Belgium. World Red Eye caught up with the two leading gentleman of the evening before the ceremony got underway, check out the interviews with them below.

Nobu Matsuhisa

World Red Eye: So how are you feeling right now- getting ready to accept this prestigious award and having a whole night in honor of you?

Nobu Matsuhisa: “Well I started cooking when I was 18 years old, and I’m over 60 now so, I feel like since I’ve been cooking all my life, that I did it. And I’m very proud of myself.”

WRE: What would you say is the thing you feel like you’ve most accomplished- in all your years, all your restaurants around the world?

NM: “Well we have over 30 restaurants all together now in five continents, so the restaurant doings are not by myself. This has lasted 20 years, and with the restaurants growing means at the same time, the staff is growing. We have beautiful teams, and we grow like a family. This is my pride.”

WRE: What is your favorite dish?

NM: “All of the restaurants have my signature dishes on the menus. It depends on the country and the restaurant- they each have their own characters and personalities. All of Nobu’s basic menus are the same, so I can’t decide which. It’s like my kids- how can I decide!”

WRE: What’s your go-to sushi piece? Are you a tuna fan or more of a squid or octopus guy?

NM: “I like the white fish, the shell fish, and Japanese people love the sea urchins… The squid, octopus, and also the tuna I like too.”

WRE: What do you love about Miami? Why did you decide to open your restaurant here over 10 years ago?

NM: “Miami is growing very big as a city. It means new hotels, which always include restaurants. A lot of chefs are coming to Miami too, so I feel like it’s good growth.”

WRE: Any word on Miami getting a Nobu Hotel?

NM: “Soon….”

Daniel Boulud

Daniel Boulud & Nobu Matsuhisa

WRE: How does it feel to be cooking for and honoring this great culinary figure?

Daniel Boulud: “I felt very touched when I had my tribute here for the South Beach Wine and Food Festival. I was very touched by my friends cooking for me, so of course it’s an honor to do the same. Nobu is a superstar. They all say chefs are stars, but Nobu is a superstar. In the rank of where we are, we try not to compare each other, but some of them float a little higher than others.”

Christophe Navarre, Daniel Boulud, & Nobu Matsuhisa

WRE: How do you feel right now? You’re getting ready to be honored for all your accomplishments with Moët Hennessy…

Christophe Navarre: “I must say I’m very proud of that. I’m very proud to be in the United States- the award is in the United States. And I love my wife, who’s American. All my friends are here- Harvey Chaplin is a close friend of mine. There is some emotion, I must say. I’m very pleased, very honored.”

Christophe Navarre & Nobu Matsuhisa

WRE: What does Moët mean to you, and reaching this point with this incredible brand?

CN: “We have a fantastic team at Moët Hennessy. We have more than 6,000 people all around the world who share the same passion and emotion for our brands. It’s always about reaching higher and higher, in quality and in image. Yes, image is very important, and you must work hard to get this level of quality. It’s a fantastic award, but it’s an award for Moët Hennessy and all the people who are working hard everyday, so I am very proud to be the CEO of this company.”

Christophe Navarre

WRE: What is the best way to enjoy Moët- what’s your idea of the perfect setting?

CN: “A big glass, not a flute, with some friends in a wonderful location. But with a lot of friends is the best- and sharing.”

WRE: What’s your favorite part about being here in Miami Beach?

CN: “I enjoy driving a car, looking at all the beautiful people around, and enjoying life. Life is beautiful!”

Daniel Boulud

Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart & Meir Teper

Daniel Boulud & Nobu Matsuhisa

Nobu Matsuhisa

Yoshihiro Murata & Nobu Matsuhisa

Yoshihiro Murata, Nobu Matsuhisa, & Daniel Boulud

Frederic Delaire, Yoshihiro Murata, Nobu Matsuhisa, & Daniel Boulud

Yoshihiro Murata, Nobu Matsuhisa, Raul De Molina, & Daniel Boulud

Meir Teper

Makaziwe Mandela & Tukwini Mandela

Bobbi & Mel Dick, & Lee Schrager

Harveys & Roberta Chaplin, Bobbi & Mel Dick

Roberta, Harvey, Arlene, & Wayne Chaplin

TukwiniMandela, KJ Robinson, Makaziwe Mandela, & Mel Dick

Drew Nieporent, Martha Stewart, Nobu Matsuhisa, & Meir Teper

Lizzie & Jonathan Tisch, & Martha Stewart

Jonathan Tisch & Meir Teper

Christophe Navarre & Harvey Chaplin

Mel Dick, Christophe Navarre, & Harvey Chaplin

Harvey & Roberta Chaplin, Yoko & Nobu Matsuhisa

Tukwini Mandela, Roberta & Harvey Chaplin, Makaziwe Mandela, Yoko & Nobu Matsuhisa

Daniel Boulud, Martha Stewart, Jonathan Tisch, & Nobu Matsuhisa

Wayne Chaplin, Jim Clerkin, & Harvey Chaplin

Wayne Chaplin, Mel Dick, & Maximilian Riedel

Gene Schaefer & Mark B. Rosenberg

Lee Schrager, Arlene & Wayne Chaplin

Wayne & Arlene Chaplin

Harvey Chaplin

Christophe Navarre

Nobu & Yoko Matsuhisa

Jean Paul Veziano & Frederic Delaire

Daniel Boulud, Roy Yamaguchi, Thomas Buckley, & Frederic Delaire

Christophe Navarre, Yuji Wakiya, & Nobu Matsuhisa

Nobu Matsuhisa, Matt Hoyle, & Thomas Buckley

Thomas Buckley, Daniel Boulud, & Nobu Matsuhisa

Martha Stewart

Nobu Matsuhisa

Yuji Wakiya, Yoshihiro Murata, Frank Gorriceta, Daniel Boulud, Christophe Navarre, Nobu Matsuhisa, Johnny Iuzzini, Matt Hoyle, Matt Hoyle, Thomas Buckley, & Frederic Delaire