The first thing that greets visitors at That Hawaiian Guy’s BBQ is a wonderful aroma.
The first thing that greets visitors at That Hawaiian Guy’s BBQ is a wonderful aroma.
The fragrance wafts through the cozy restaurant at 14530 North Cheshire St. in Burton Village from the back door.
A few feet west of the door sets an enormous smoker and, most days, Duane Sherry can be found there busily marinating huge cuts of beef and pork amid a cloud of smoke.
He and his wife, Rachael, spent the last three years catering events and parties from their van and, when the space became available, decided to “tear off the Band-Aid” and open a storefront in October.
“It was clear we needed a bigger kitchen,” Rachael said.
When they found the location, they committed.
How do they feel a few months into their operation?
“Terrified,” Rachel admitted.
Currently, they have seating for about 25 diners in four booths and a large central table, all decorated with flowers.
The pair, who live in South Russell Village, have education and experience in the food industry. Duane, originally from Oahu, Hawaii, majored in restaurant management at Menlo College in Atherton, Calif. Rachael graduated from culinary school in Arizona and the couple met at Arizona State University.
“He’s self-taught. He loves being by the grill and experimenting,” she said of Duane. “I like recipes. He’s creative and loves to cook.”
The menu — pulled pork and brisket smoked for hours, Hooli (Hawaiian chicken) Mochiko chicken (Japanese cuisine), homemade mac and cheese, macaroni salad and bacon baked beans — may expand as customers make requests, Rachel said.
“We started out with a much bigger menu. Then we homed in on what people buy,” Rachael said. “People keep asking us to do luaus.”
But for now, Rachel and Duane are sufficiently busy with take-out orders, catering, farmers markets and, oh yes, three children ages 8, 5 and 2.
Other family members have stepped in. Rachael’s mother, JoAnn Mychenberg, is an art teacher at Chagrin Falls Gurney Elementary School and, while planning to retire in the fall, keeps her hand in at the restaurant.
“She’ll just come in with a paintbrush one day and start painting,” Rachael said. “For my mom, this is almost nostalgic.”
Rachael’s grandmother catered to put her children through college, she said, adding her father, Gary Mychenberg, is an accountant and provided input during the creation of the business.
Growing up in Hawaii, Duane always favored Korean and Japanese cooking, and he started young. When visiting friends’ homes, he would raid their refrigerator and experiment with the contents, Rachael said.
“Mom taught me as soon as I could see over the stove,” he said, adding he was only in seventh grade when he started cooking meals.
He became a grilling fiend in college during social events.
“I’m in love with fire. I’d hang out by the grill with the upperclassmen. I started experimenting and I never really stopped,” Duane said. “It’s worked out well for everybody.”
Currently, the storefront is open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
“Or until we sell out,” Rachael said. “Catering is the backbone of our business.”
However, they still have more space to the south of their operation and might expand into that.
For the first year, however, they want to establish their operation and maintain their balance, Rachel said.
“It’s all-consuming. We weren’t quite ready for it,” she said.
Their website, www.thathawaiianguysbbq.com, shows where the couple can be found when they aren’t serving and smoking in Burton. Orders can be made online or by calling 440-273-8087.
