“I was first introduced to Japanese cuisine by my father, who lived in Japan from 1993 to 1995 as a field service liaison for Boeing,” said Reynolds. “He taught me how to prepare many traditional Japanese dishes.”

After her initial foray into Japanese cooking, she sought private instruction from Japanese chefs.

“The more I watched and learned,” she said, “the more I wanted to do this on my own.”

She got a start, of sorts, while working as a surgical technologist at Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville in 1998.

“I wanted to do something different for our department’s ‘potluck day’ so I suggested sushi,” Reynolds said.

She charged $5 for miso soup, green tea, a sushi roll and a dessert and it was a big hit with her co-workers.

“I started doing ‘sushi day’ more and more on my days off,” she said, “and I imagine that we became the only hospital in Nashville to boast a sushi bar in the doctor’s lounge!”

The Sushi Girls Japanese Catering Company began in earnest in the early 2000s on the east coast. When she relocated to Poulsbo she ramped the company back up here in March 2005.

The catering company offers in-home and office private catering for parties of six to 60 and more, with a “chef comes to you” concept. Clients can entertain guests in the comfort of their own homes and guests have the added entertainment of watching homestyle Japanese dishes — such as nabemono, satoshoyu, kushiyaki and yakitori—as well as traditional favorites, such as sashimi platters and sushi rolls, being prepared right in front of them.

“Some dinners turned into entertainment/education sessions about Japanese food,” said Reynolds. “I like to invite hosts to wash up and step behind the counter if they would like to learn how to make something; I am more than willing to teach what I know to others.”

Catering staff usually arrives at a home three hours prior to the event to begin food preparation. Sushi Girls provides the table linens, Japanese tableware, all the serving pieces and stemware, and are on site from prep to clean up. The catering company offers floor table dining on cushions, and the staff wears traditional Japanese house robes called “yukatas.”

“As far as I know, I’m the only female non-Asian to offer this type of chef service,” said Reynolds.

Reynolds doesn’t engage in much traditional advertising, and relies heavily on word of mouth referrals for her business.

“My clients tend to be very high-end and word of mouth is the best form of advertising I have,” she said.

Reynolds began taking hula dance lessons about a year ago and this inspired her to broaden Sushi Girls’ offerings to include lu’au food, as well.

“The best part of [the lu’au] is I provide musicians and hula dancers for the event,” said Reynolds.

For more information about The Sushi Girls Japanese Catering Company, call (360) 697-2840.