Since its grand opening in September, Ichiban to Go has quickly become a neighborhood staple. The restaurant’s friendly service, fun contests, and solid menu of Japanese and Chinese staples — the best Ichiban Catering has to offer — has turned it into a favorite among locals. We caught up with owner Jessica Chuang to find out what it’s been like to open during a pandemic and what the future holds for Ichiban to Go.
Ichiban Japanese Catering has been operating from this location for a few years. What made you want to open a restaurant?
Jessica: I remember sitting in front of my laptop during lockdown. I was staring at my emails for probably three hours. It was a sunny day, and no one was allowed outside. The only messages in my inbox were “how to apply for NJ grants,” news about our events industry, and spam. My father called to check in on me to see how I was doing. One conversation led to another, but we eventually found ourselves talking about the future of Ichiban Japanese Catering. We’d been in this business since 1997. Since that time, Ichiban has been through many ups and downs but we’ve always found a way to make things work. After some thought, I realized that this was a unique opportunity to bring a new, fresh way we cater to our customers. Our company’s mission has always been built on creating food to bring people together. At least with this, it would allow us to continue doing what we loved the most: feeding people and inventing the next best thing.
What has it been like to open during a pandemic?
Jessica: It’s honestly been something we couldn’t have anticipated. Back in April, we thought the lockdown was only going to last a few months and we’d be back up and running with events in September. However, as news with COVID-19 progressed, we knew the odds of going back to events in September grew dimmer. We thought about allocating a portion of our warehouse for take out. Since then, we took the time to renovate our kitchen and bring in newer equipment to improve the layout of the store. Once things were looking a little better in New Jersey, I moved from Brooklyn to this area and started to finish the rest of the renovations. It took a little longer than expected — since this pandemic delayed a lot of our equipment — but once September rolled around, the rest was history.
“The sushi pizza came from catering late night events where some guests wanted sushi while others wanted something oily and crunchy.”
Your menu has both traditional and non-traditional entrees (e.g. sushi pizza). Where do you draw inspiration for the non-traditional items?
Jessica: Catering has been our bread and butter for many years. What differentiated us from any other sushi catering company was that we were solely a sushi catering company. Up until now, we had no restaurant and no store front. Our hearts and souls were poured into our research to be an innovative sushi catering company. Now we get to implement some of those items into our take-out menu, which has been an exciting way to get feedback from customers.
In the past month, some of my customers have asked us how we came up with the “sushi lollipop.” That idea came from catering bat/bar mitzvahs; we wanted to make sure that there was a fun aspect to the party rather than a traditional sushi station. The sushi pizza came from catering late night events where some guests wanted sushi while others wanted something oily and crunchy. Our inspiration is always drawn from our client’s requests. Which also leads me to our next biggest inspiration. We are very lucky to work with an amazing company, Gourmet Advisory, founded by Harriette Rose Katz. They are the best of the best in the event planning world. They’ve been our biggest champion for creating the next best thing.
You recently added ramen to the menu. What else can we expect in the coming months?
Jessica: We’re always inventing and creating new things. Part of wanting to open this takeout location is to encourage our chefs, myself included, to keep on creating new and interesting dishes for people to try. Right now, we are working on a Japaneses-style fried chicken, curry, and more.
Your dad started Ichiban Catering and you created Ichiban To-Go. Where do you foresee the restaurant once the pandemic is over or under control?
Jessica: Hopefully once the pandemic is over, I’m looking forward to adding some seating in my store. Right now, with the capacity limits, I can probably have one person eating in here.
Long term, when we were redecorating, I contemplated what concept this store would have. While we needed the space for the warehouse for our return to catering, I also wanted to create a small space where people could eat. That’s when I recalled the small hole-in-the-wall restaurants in Japan where people would go after work, sit down, eat by themselves, and go home. The people in there would always be regulars who were on their way home after work. People would come in twos or by themselves. It was quick, easy, and felt “familiar.” That’s where the concept of Ichiban To-Go came from. Not only is it “to-go” and delivery, but it’s a place where you can come in, feel at home, eat, and go about your day.
Another goal down the line, when there is a way to safely gather in bigger groups, is to create a place where we can hopefully do some fun community events.
Ichiban to Go
365 Palisade Avenue
https://ichibantakeout.square.site/home
