Laurene

"After a short lunch, he stood up as usual. Due to Steve’s request, we already had the credit card details of Steve himself and Laurene, so there was no hassle with the payment. Even for a celebrity like Steve, we did not provide any special treatment at Kaigetsu. If the bookings were full, we would refuse even if a reservation was called in or emailed, often asking to change to another date."

"Steve had strong preferences when it came to food, and even that day, he couldn’t do kenchin soup, matcha, or any dessert with eggs. When there was something he couldn’t eat, he’d just smile without touching it, which was Steve’s way. That day, we saw his “Steve Smile” several times. On the other hand, Laurene knew tea ceremony etiquette, rotating the teacup and drinking the matcha, eating almost everything"

"On January 9, 2007, Apple announced the first iPhone. In fact, there’s a little “mistake” related to this announcement on our part. At some point, Steve began visiting Katsuratsuki on the night of big presentations. He would sit in his favorite number one seat at the back of the counter and enjoy dinner with his wife, Laurene. On such occasions, he was usually very relaxed and in a good mood. Although hailed as a presentation “genius,” Steve reportedly practiced significantly beforehand, and his relaxed demeanor immediately afterward offered a glimpse into the pressure he was under."

"Unfortunately for Steve, Laurene didn’t seem very surprised, to be honest. Perhaps she already knew the plan for the day in advance, or maybe the impression from four years ago was too strong. Steve was a genius at presenting Apple products, but he might not have been very good at staging these kinds of scenes."

"The plan was for all the guests to be seated first, and then for the Jobs couple to arrive at the restaurant last. Perhaps Steve had told Laurene something like “let’s go for a meal” together. In reality, when they arrived at the restaurant, familiar faces were lined up, revealing the theme of a “surprise party.”"

"A Father’s Face Even after the private catering ended, his frequency of visits did not drop. At some point, Sunday dinners became a regular thing, but even if I got a call shortly before, I couldn’t easily prepare the seat he wanted. In 2008, when I said, “From now on, I’ll always keep a counter seat available on Sundays, so just let me know if you don’t need it,” he said, “That’s great!” As expected, it was his wife, Laurene, who accompanied him the most. Steve occasionally displayed gestures as if he were cozying up to Laurene. The two of them, seen across the counter, were always affectionate, frequently exchanging jokes and laughing together."

"The plan that Steve shared with us for the day went like this: “I’ll arrive at the store by 7 PM, so first, I want you to turn off all the store lights to make it look like it’s closed. Once the two of us get close, turn on the lights suddenly to surprise Laurene, and then turn the lights off again. I want to have candles ready and dine by candlelight.”"

"The other person was Mr. Arriaga, a major donor to Stanford. His daughter, Laura, is married to the notable investor Marc Andreessen and also lectured at Stanford. Laura had been a regular customer since Toshiz Sushi-ya, and she had visited Katsuzuki several times with Laurene, Steve Jobs’ wife."