Akira Hirose, the acclaimed chef behind Pasadena's Maison Akira and Little Tokyo's Azay, passed away recently. Hirose was born in Kyoto and moved to France for chef training and trained in the Parisian kitchen of Joël Robuchon. He then moved to Los Angeles in 1981, taking over the kitchens at L’Orangerie and The Belvedere at The Peninsula Beverly Hills before opening his own restaurants. A dinner was attended by top Japanese chefs, including James Beard-award-winning chef Roy Yamaguchi and Charles Namba. The dinner was held at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center in Little Tokyo.