Backyard grills and dinner parties don’t tend to come with juggled fire sticks, eggs flipped on a spatula, theatrical knife work or sculptured fried rice.
Unless Josh Sarran is the chef.
Since June, the Williamsburg resident has traveled to local homes and businesses to cook private hibachi meals with his catering business, Mt. Fuji 757, LLC. The combination of Japanese food and performance art has been a hit with people stuck at home during COVID-19.
“It’s something fun and different,” says Sarran, 28. “It’s not just about good food. I like to joke around, express my personality and create a lot of smiles. I throw in plenty of little tricks, especially if kids are there.”
A restaurant hibachi chef since 2014, Sarran has a health permit and business license, wears a mask and adheres to state guidelines on gathering sizes. He changes a flat $150 fee for setup — which includes a grill, tables and chairs, tablecloths and candles, disposable plates and bowls, forks and chopsticks, and napkins — plus food ordered from a menu.
According to the Mt. Fuji 757 website, Sarran can service most people located between Virginia Beach and Richmond, with additional travel fees for bookings outside that area.
Sarran says he can cook anywhere that has good ventilation. “Usually I cook outside, sometimes under a tent or canopy.”
Sarran opted to leave a full-time job at a Newport News restaurant as business lagged during the pandemic. Quickly, he found people still wanted to celebrate milestones such as birthdays, anniversaries and holidays; he’s currently booked weekends through April.
One such customer was Justin Hockaday of Williamsburg, who met Sarran during his five years as a chef at Kyoto Japanese Steak and Seafood in Williamsburg. Hockaday hired Mt. Fuji 757 — named for a famous mountain in Japan — for an August birthday party for his father and brother. Sarran cooked for about 25 family members of all ages on a backyard patio.
“He brought everything and made it really easy and fun,” Hockaday says. “He even let a couple of us try to flip an egg on a spatula … until he ran out of eggs. He interacted really well with all of us, from a 5-year-old to people in their 50s.”
Sarran’s “Hibachi at Home” menu features entrees served with clear soup, salad, fried rice, hibachi vegetables and two appetizer shrimp. Options include vegetables ($17), teriyaki chicken ($23), jumbo shrimp ($26), filet mignon ($31) and lobster tail ($41). Kids’ meals are $15 to $17.
Entrees are seasoned with salt and pepper and cooked with garlic butter, soy sauce and teriyaki sauce, with flexibility for special requests and allergy concerns. Sarran books lunches and dinners on weekends and dinners only on weekdays so he has more time with his wife, Jen, and their baby daughter, Emily.
Born in New Jersey, Sarran has lived in the Williamsburg area since he was 13. He graduated from Bruton High School and, like many teenagers, got his first taste of kitchen work during a summer gig at Busch Gardens. Both his parents are of Asian descent, which helped draw him to hibachi (that translates to “fire bowl” in Japanese).
Like many in his profession, Sarran started out as a busboy and dishwasher and gradually picked up hibachi skills from various chefs. Early on, he practiced two or three hours a day during work downtimes — sometimes blindfolded — and watched cooking videos at home.
“Customers come in with high expectations, so it’s easy to get nervous if you don’t feel prepared,” he says. “I don’t make a lot of mistakes now.”
Learning to cook on a Teppanyaki grill, a long, flat device with only one burner, was the biggest challenge:
“That hot spot in the center of the grill is one of the most important things to understand.”
Sarran preps food at a rented commercial kitchen space in Norfolk, which meets health department requirements for equipment and cleanliness. He has no employees but has hired an added chef to help with larger parties, which haven’t happened of late.
Smithfield resident Justine Brim has booked Sarran twice, originally for a holiday party for her small accounting business and again to celebrate her husband’s birthday in January. She already has a third reservation planned for May, for another birthday party.
“The first time it was really windy and cold, but he was a trooper and his soup was the best,” Brim recalls. “Josh is very engaging and likes to goof around, but he always gets the orders right too. I think the experience is something most people get excited about and remember.”
Based on Sarran’s conversations with his chef friends around the country, the “Hibachi at Home” concept is spreading. In his case, the switch from restaurants has brought an unexpected sense of peace as a new father.
“I took this leap for my daughter, and now I know I’m able to be flexible for her,” he says. “I feel like no matter what the future holds, I’ll be OK.”
Alison Johnson, ajohnsondp@yahoo.com
Hibachi at Home
To learn more about Mt. Fuji 757 or make a booking, visit the company’s Facebook page or send email to mtfujiof757@gmail.com.
