Jean Claude Ba, owner of Chef Hiro, plans to open a second eatery at 2864 N High St later this year. As detailed on his website, Ba focuses on “good food and dope anime” through fusing different food cultures in his cooking, anime-themed decor and hosting watch parties at his current restaurant’s location at 1297 Parsons Ave.
The decision to combine anime and food was an easy choice, according to Ba, who got his culinary start in 2018, when he taught himself to cook at home while his favorite anime features played in the background. Soon, Ba began selling items like ox tails out of his apartment and from there he launched the Chef Hiro food truck in 2019 and opened his first brick and mortar establishment last year.
The current Chef Hiro menu features items like jerk tacos, which are filled with various jerk-seasoned proteins, including a vegan option and is served with red beans and rice. Other menu staples include the pineapple bowls, which are halved pineapples stuffed with beans, rice, cheese and two proteins of choice, and garnished with cilantro, cheese and Hiro sauce. In addition to jerk chicken, the jerk-seasoned proteins include shrimp, salmon, steak and vegan proteins.
What Now Columbus spoke with Ba about the menu at his High Street location. Ba shared that due to the proximity to the OSU campus, the eatery will focus on carry out options, like jerk pizzas as well as six to seven flavors of wings, which will be available exclusively at the new location.
