About Us

Five years ago Ted and Jon met at B&G Oysters.  Jon joined the restaurant as a Sous Chef, and Ted as an assistant manager. Years passed and Jon became the Chef de Cuisine and Ted the General Manager.  Through those years, the pair became best friends and made an excellent team.  Over many shared meals, late-night kitchen experiments, shifties, and “where are you?” messages from their significant others, the two resolved to open a restaurant together someday.

An adage from Ted’s restaurateur uncle, had long influenced Ted’s opinion on what makes a good restaurant: “good food, good price, good service” - in that order.  Likewise, Jon learned the same lesson about the importance of meaningful, value-driven food from his grandparents who owned diners in New York City - one of the toughest restaurant habitats in the world.  Jon and Ted’s love for preparing everyday ingredients with refined technique naturally led the pair to chūka ryori.

Chūka ryori, literally translated (Japanese) “chinese cuisine,” is a style of cuisine with dishes largely of Chinese origin, done in a distinctly Japanese style. It can be compared to how American Chinese cuisine is distinctly American with Chinese roots. Ted was naturally drawn to the cuisine as his family’s heritage is mostly Chinese, but with deep roots in Kobe, Japan.  Jon immediately noticed the parallels between the service style of chūka restaurants in Japan, and classic diners in America.  While the two don’t seek to create an exact replica of chūka cuisine here in the states, they are excited to offer authentic dishes blended with their own experience in hospitality, food, and cooking.  Afterall, food is culture, and culture is alive.  As all living things grow and change over time, so does cuisine.