You’ve seen the fire, watched the onion volcano erupt, filmed the tricks and maybe even caught a flying shrimp in your mouth.
What you have not seen are the three to six months of training behind it, or that the fire comes only after a chef has mastered every part of the meal.
Kasai Japanese Steakhouse has been part of Scottsdale’s dining scene since 2001, first as Sapporo and later as Kasai. The restaurant became known for teppanyaki, sushi, and what it calls: dinnertainment, combining the meal with performance and guest interaction.
After 25 years under the Russello family, Kasai was sold earlier this year to Scottsdale based EDGI, led by entrepreneur Robert Stidham, who plans to bring the concept beyond Arizona.
Doing that means replicating more than the menu. It means finding chefs who can deliver the same experience guests have known for decades. In Scottsdale, that responsibility rests with 10 chefs behind the teppanyaki grills.
With growth on the horizon, we turned up the heat to find out what it takes to earn a spot among them.
Here's the first surprise: A chef does not necessarily need teppanyaki experience to get started.
Kasai has trained chefs from the beginning and promoted employees from other restaurant positions after they showed the work ethic, discipline and personality needed for the grill.
Training typically takes three to six months, and the cooking comes first.
Before performing for guests, chefs must master food safety, knife skills, recipes, portions, temperatures and timing. Fire, utensil tricks, jokes and guest interaction are added only after those fundamentals become consistent.
The hardest skill is not the onion volcano... It is doing everything at once.
At any given dinner, one chef may be cooking several proteins to different temperatures, remembering dietary requests, managing portions, tracking the pace of the meal and setting up the next trick.
Meanwhile, the chef is also expected to talk, perform and keep the table involved.
That is why the most common rookie mistake has nothing to do with food. New chefs become so focused on remembering what comes next that they forget to look up.
Who to Request
For the biggest show: Isaiah, better known as Chef Maui because of his resemblance to Maui from Moana. He is one of Kasai’s most complimented chefs.
For dinner with kids: Chef Luis C., who has been known to keep a small Remy from Ratatouille tucked inside his chef hat while performing.
For the steak: Lead teppanyaki chef Hieu, who has been with the restaurant since Sapporo opened in 2001. After nearly 25 years at the grill, he can cook a steak so precisely that the food does not need much of a routine around it.
For confidence and charm: Jesse, known around the restaurant as Tom Cruise and known by himself as Kasai’s resident ladies’ man.
kasaiteppan.com