SAN ANTONIO — A husband and wife came to the U.S. with an American dream -- to own and operate their own business. They now own Hotaru Sushi & Hibachi, located on 23702 I-10 Suite 101.
"We came to this country as refugees and we believe in hard working," said owner/chef Rebecca Thang. "This is the first thing we put hands on as soon as we arrived in this country."
They came to America from Southeast Asia. Within 24 hours of arrival, began making sushi.
Ten years passed, and they thought, "Why not have our own restaurant and introduce this flavor that we've learned for all those years?"
They opened their first business inside a hospital, Firefly Sushi. Now, they have Hotaru, their first brick and mortar.
"We chose Hotaru... if you translate it in English, it's firefly," said Thang.
And their talents shine in their food, especially in the sushi.
The Hawaiian Spring Roll
"It's made with rice paper, tuna, salmon, crab meat, avocado and you wrap it, pour some Ponzu sauce. Ponzu is kind of like citrus flavors," said Thang.
The Samurai Roll
It has cream cheese, salmon, tuna and it's topped with jalapenos. For somebody that likes spicy, creamy and sweet, they get the Samurai Roll," said Thang.
Their hibachi side of their restaurant features things like the teriyaki chicken.
"Our hibachi chef is very experienced in hibachi. He has more than nine years of experience, so he likes his chicken perfect," said Thang.
He also made a juicy New York Strip.
They opened in the pandemic. So, they hope now, they can get the word out about their authentic eats.
"We want to thank America for allowing us to this country," said Thang. "So, we also want to give back to the country and to the community."
Click here to explore Hotaru's full menu.