European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 26, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                By Tom Joky associated press iroak1 Aoki at m comes on like a by who has been or can be the world s beat anything. He s fair proof too that Money even $40 million can t buy happiness. "1 am a very unhappy person that Why i work so  said the Young Man you May know As Rocky. I am looking for  it s a curious state of mind for a go getter who was one of Japan s top wrestlers As a teen Ager made his country s olympic team in 1960 and. Four years later but for citizenship might have won a spot on the . Team. Took up backgammon and in five months won a championship tournament in Las vegas. Started racing Power boats a couple years ago and will compete this summer for the world Stitle. Borrowed $20.000 just Over a decade ago to open his first Benchana of Tokyo restaurant in manhat Tan and today owns a Chain of 30. A that Rocky Aoki. I love  declared the Man who brought japanese food american style to the heart of Tokyo. I was a wrestler i won. I Learned Backiam my. I won. Now i m racing my boat and i hate Tolose. I m making a lot of Money he said after a Long pause and i m thinking now How am i going to spend it. I m looking around for new  Aoki is a muscular 5-foot-1. With curly dark hair and a drooping moustache. Mis English is thick in japanese his Story a Shade beyond extraordinary. After world War ii we were very poor Rocky Aoki smiling began. I did t want to be poor so in High school i became a  he pointed across the room of his skyscraper office in new York to a big Bass fiddle in the Corner. The instrument had t been played in years he said but two decades ago ii was a ticket to american military bases near his Home. I became Friendly with a lot of gis and after a while i was dying to go to the United  Amateur wrestling brought him to the . For the first time in 59. He wrestled his Way onto Japan s olympic team that competed in Rome the next summer and within a year he was Back in the United  spent some time at Columbia University trying to learn English made Money As a Chauffer for Jap anese tourists and worked awhile As a parking lot attendant. Brief and not always successful ventures to Springfield College in Massachusetts. Cornell University in upstate new York and new York City Community College , in the summer of 1963, Rocky Aoki sold ice Cream from a truck in Harlem and i went  he worked 13 hours a Day japanese music Blar ing from his truck a Little japanese sync umbrella adorning each Cone he  drove All those Black kids crazy Aoki remembered and i made Money even on Rainy Days. In three or four months i made $10,000." then came that evening in 1964 there one like it in every Success Story. Dinner at the Bamboo House in Midtown Manhattan an owner who wanted out and Rocky Aoki was in business. Benchana High new York time entrepreneur Hiroaki Rocky Aoki if i want to learn something i go to the top. Aoki borrowed $20,000 and sunk that and the $10,000 he had made Selling ice Cream in Harlem into renovating the Small establishment. For America then meant Opportunity. Japan at that time was very heavy in seniority system Aoki said. I was 25 and if i wanted to borrow Money in Japan the banker would laugh at  the Long wait. I knew i would have to Educ the americans to japanese  he recalled and i almost went bankrupt. Night after night maybe one customer. I had tears in my eyes " he summoned his Mother from Japan to help other members of his family would lend a hand from time to time. The experience was there his father had run a Small Coffee House called Benchana red Flower and was a Well known showman in Japan. Finally that second evening eight or 10 months after Aoki s first restaurant had opened. A food critic for one of new York s now Long gone newspapers happened by. And being the Only customer that evening. Rocky Aoki recalled we really treated her Nice. We did t know who she was. But she left very Happy. She gave me a big Fri cup and business started getting  Benchana style soft japanese music the White hatted chef wielding the knife like a Samurai Over the Tep Panyak or steel Grill and departing to applause began to  More restaurants opened in new York City others in Chicago san Francisco Portland Toron to Dallas. Boston. Atlanta on and on. In 1974. 10 years after the first Benchana opened the Chain grossed $22 million made $5 million i love to solve problems Rocky Aoki said when i was Young i wanted to be a doctor then lawyer. I was a trouble solver. If i m in trouble i can come up with new idea Sall the  Benchana is Aoki style. Steak and Chicken on the menu no raw fish and i put showmanship into it. If i did that in Japan they would laugh at  Aoki s showmanship in t limited to the restau rant business. He flies his own plane owns a stable of race horses he promoted the Muhammad Ali Mac Foster heavyweight fight in Tokyo and wants to bring japanese kick boxing to the . And he s supported a couple of Broadway plays collects Vintage cars and sponsors the Benchana grand prix Power boat race each  he devotes lots of spare time to kids in new York City. Rocky Aoki is married the father of two. They live now in new Jersey but Aoki s moving his head quarters to Florida. He s just completed a Deal with Hardwicke cos., inc., to help manage the restaurant Chain. If i want to learn something. I go to the top he said when asked about his Success. "1 pay someone but i get the Best i got to be Lucky too. You can have lots of Opportunity but you got to be Lucky. Anything anybody does you got to be  fantastic creatures and use their wings of they do this to evaporate the and the finished product is ripened collected 41 pounds of Honey lint year of i Hobby and said that Lumate be could probably . Wun stung goes. Sandrowicz says that 26, 1977 bees will go out of their Way not to Sling you i think they Are like horses they can smell fear and if you re afraid of them they la get  a worker stings you he leaves an odor around the bite and this attracts and makes other bees angry. So. If you get stung once you can usually depend on getting some  u son Richard. 6. Was interested in his father s Hobby but he got discouraged when web bucs acceding to the those that Are familiar with them die within an hour of biting someone und Sandrowicz said that no beekeeper can say he s never been stung you Don t want them to sting you because you la lose bees. It s like raising rabbits you want More rabbits " Sandrowicz said his wife. Christine is from new zealand and is allergic to Bee stings. She likes their product  he adds and she Cooks with it. There s nothing belter than her scottish oat cakes smothered with Butler and  the stars and stripes Page 13