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Watch: What It Takes to Be a Teppanyaki Chef

Eater NY’s Serena Dai takes a turn behind the grill

A form of dinner theatre in its own right, Benihana is a Japanese-American institution that's been charming diners with clanging knife tricks and airborne shrimp since 1964. Today on Consumed, Eater NY editor Serena Dai heads to 56th Street in New York City to the original Benihana location, to meet with a teppanyaki chef and see if she has what it takes to become a flattop grill master.

From the diner's side of the grill, a Benihana teppanyaki chef's job may seem like all pizzazz, but behind the flash (and adorable grilled onion train) are some real knife skills and cooking chops. Dai takes a lesson with chef David Cardenas as a part of Benihana's Be the Chef program to try her hand at what's required to feed and entertain a full table of teppanyaki lovers. Does Dai have a future in spatula flipping, or will she hang her Benihana hat up at the end of the night? Watch the video to find out.

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