Taking the family out for hibachi can be fun but noisy, as multiple parties enjoy the spatula-clanging, shrimp-tossing show at their individual tables. Chef Michael Shapiro, aka Rad Dad, offers an alternative: He brings the hibachi party to you.
Shapiro transports his Rad Dad Hibachi dinner and show to your place, complete with traditional food, veggies, fried rice, noodles, and a shrimp appetizer. He also comes equipped with tables, chairs, a chef’s cart, and grill. In other words, you bring a party of 10 or more (plus plates and utensils)—he brings the rest.
Although he may not look the part, Shapiro has true hibachi cred, having completed a two-week bootcamp at Benihana in Boca Raton, then working for the chain synonymous with hibachi for close to a year.
The training was intense. “It was 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day for two weeks,” he says. “We did nothing but flip spatulas and cook full time. They didn’t just teach you to cook, you had to be an entertainer. You have to give the audience a show.”
And that’s what makes hibachi cooking so much fun for his clientele and for him.
“It’s a more personal experience,” he says. “At a home, people are more focused on the other guests and the chef. I’ve enjoyed every moment of it.”
Shapiro will do his thing anywhere between Marco Island and Punta Gorda, with prices starting at $50 per adult and $25 for children younger than 13.
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