Jeff, who was already a restaurant operator, felt that his neighborhood was lacking something he grew up eating. Japanese style hot pot, with fresh vegetables, high end cuts of beef and seafood was something he had throughout childhood and yet nothing like this existed in the mainstream dining segment. So he decided to take over a small space in Eastside Costa Mesa to create Tabu Shabu.
His focus from day one was procuring homemade sauces with freshly ground sesame seeds, carefully selected meats and seafood from all over the US and world, and locally sourced produce. With this Tabu Shabu became a booming success. Jeff believed that high quality dining experience can also be in a fun, service based environment and be affordable.