Peter Ho buzzed through the skinny open kitchen at Sumibiyaki Arashi with a serious look on his face. <\/p>\n
His usual smiley, peacefully calm demeanour had given way, ever so slightly, to the stresses of the moment: In a mere three hours, his intimate Vancouver restaurant would open its doors for the first of six one-year anniversary dinners. Called the Lineage of Fire, the omakase menu wasn\u2019t just special because it marked the first birthday of his 14-seat yakitori eatery, which specializes in charcoal-grilled skewers \u2013 it was special because Ho wasn\u2019t cooking it alone.<\/p>\n
With him in the kitchen were the two Tokyo-based chefs who\u2019ve had the most influence on his career: Yoshiteru Ikegawa of wildly popular yakitori restaurant Torishiki, and Kentaro Nakahara of the equally beloved wagyu grill spot Sumibiyakiniku Nakahara.<\/p>\n
Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n Kentaro NakaharaAlana Paterson\/The Globe and Mail<\/p>\n \u201cI was surprised; he\u2019s doing very well,\u201d said Nakahara, reflecting on the meal that Ho cooked for the two chefs upon their arrival. It was their first visit to Vancouver, but they happily made the trek across the ocean to help celebrate Ho\u2019s accomplishments thus far (namely, earning one Michelin star after only seven months in business). But then, with a sly smile, Nakahara added: \u201cIt\u2019s not perfect yet.\u201d <\/p>\n For Ho, his mentors\u2019 visit was a chance to pay his respects the best way he knew how: through food. \u201cI feel very honoured that they said yes,\u201d he said. \u201cSo I\u2019d better not screw this up.\u201d<\/p>\n Tending to and cooking with fire requires patience, presence, and precision. Those who have never tried authentic Japanese yakitori may balk at Sumibiyaki Arashi\u2019s prices, which start at $175 before drinks and add-ons (and tickets to Lineage of Fire were double that amount). But the skill required to excel at this type of cooking shouldn\u2019t be underestimated. <\/p>\n Ho uses a traditional charcoal called kishu binch\u014dtan, which is sourced from Japanese ubame oak trees and burns at an extremely high heat. That means the skewers require near constant attention (flipping, fanning, repeat) to ensure they cook evenly and thoroughly without burning. When done right, the results are transcendent: juicy, moist, shining morsels of meat are taken to new heights thanks to the smoky aroma and flavour from the charcoal.<\/p>\n Born in Taiwan, Ho moved to Canada with his family when he was eight years old. It was his paternal grandmother who, with fond memories of Japan\u2019s 50-year occupation of Taiwan (which ended in 1945), helped him fall hard for Japanese food. When he was a kid, she would take him to Japan two to three times a year, and at home in Vancouver his family often went to Japanese restaurants.<\/p>\n Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n Yoshiteru IkegawaAlana Paterson\/The Globe and Mail<\/p>\n Ho soon realized that he not only wanted to eat Japanese food, though \u2013 he wanted to cook it. With dreams of one day opening his own place, he learned his trade at restaurants both in Vancouver and abroad \u2013 back in Taiwan and also in Japan, where he met Nakahara in 2015. A few years later, Nakahara introduced him to Ikegawa, who became his yakitori mentor. Back in Vancouver, Ho took what he learned and channelled it into Sumibiyaki Arashi, which opened in March, 2025.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted to teach him passion,\u201d Ikegawa said through a translator, in between food prep tasks for the evening\u2019s festivities. \u201cI did this by showing him that I had passion. We worked in the same kitchen, but I didn\u2019t say it directly to him: Peter had to find it out.\u201d<\/p>\n Ho, whom Ikegawa praised for being a quick study, got the message.<\/p>\n \u201cThe number-one thing he taught me was heart, passion, and hospitality,\u201d Ho said. For example: if you hear the ice cubes clink in someone\u2019s glass, it means their drink is finished and they should be offered another one. Such details may not directly relate to charcoal grilling, but that\u2019s the point. <\/p>\n