AMHERST — After studying business at the University of Massachusetts, two recent graduates from China are taking what they learned in the classroom, and coupling it with their cultural heritage, to launch a restaurant that they say offers a unique dining experience in the region.
For Jiarui “Jeremy” Liu, who earned a finance degree in 2018, and Jian “Jason” Huang, who the same year earned an economics degree, opening North Hot Pot at 20 Belchertown Road in February was about proving the success of their business model, being able to continue to live and work in the United States and giving people a chance to enjoy cuisine prepared in a manner that many have likely not seen previously.
“Most people would like to try something new,” Liu said.
“If you don’t know hot pot, come here to be educated,” Huang adds.
Wearing shirts with the words “The First” and the restaurant’s logo, a Chinese character for “north,” the men explained that North Hot Pot is their initial business venture and likely the inaugural hot pot restaurant in western Massachusetts.
Once an order is placed, with customers having a selection of more than 100 meats, fish, tofu and vegetables from which to choose, all food is prepared at the customers’ tables. This happens by bringing a broth or soup base — after cooking for at least six hours in the kitchen — to a boil in an electrical cooker embedded in the table surface.
Then, the raw and uncooked items, such as boneless short rib beef, ribeye beef, fish balls with pork filling, beef balls with cheese filling, potato, watercress, spinach or five different mushrooms and seven different tofus, are brought to the table to be placed in the hot pot.
Within a few seconds, or at most a few minutes, these items get cooked in the hot pot and are ready to eat. Customers then enjoy their selection by removing the food from the hot pot and placing it in a small bowl with a dipping sauce that they can create from a variety of products, such as chili garlic and leak flower, available at a nearby sauce table.
Liu said the food is healthy, with no MSG and no oils used, and the meats and vegetables are purchased from local farms and suppliers.
“The point of hot pot is fresh,” Huang said.
“To me this is health food,” Liu said.
The set-up of the tables, which can seat 87 people, encourages people to share the food being prepared in the hot pots, so one person who orders potato can easily sample another person’s meat selection.
“One thing that is important is hot pot is about sharing,” Liu said. “This culture is ingrained into North Hot Pot.”
Liu and Huang are also trying to spur conversation, with a sign explaining that smartphones may not work well in the building. That sign reads: “We do not have wifi. Talk to each other. Pretend it’s 1995.”
“We’d like people to interact,” Liu said.
The idea for the restaurant came after the men discovered the longtime home of Michael’s Billiards, and of various pizza shops over the years, would be closing and the 3,000-square-foot dining room would be available.
Liu said they spent about six months doing research to make sure they would have the financial resources to begin the business and sustain it during the months of start up.
“The most important thing was having a budget,” Liu said. “We both studied business and had to know we had enough money to support this.”
Some of the costs included $22,000 to renovate the interior, $2,000 for signs and additional money to overhaul the existing kitchen to meet their needs and bringing in a small workforce of four kitchen employees and three to four servers.
They spent another six months training to learn hot pot techniques, which are popular in China and in American cities, with several in Boston and New York, and getting inspectors to OK the design of having cookers at each table.
“We had no idea of hot pot before we opened this restaurant, we had to keep exploring and keep learning,” Liu said.
Another motivation was being able to remain in the area and not have to return to China.
“I wanted to stay here,” Huang said.
“It’s very hard to find a job in America as international students,” Liu said.
Liu said there has been some confusion from people who drop by and assume the restaurant has traditional Chinese food. But there is no fried rice or sweet and sour chicken available.
In fact, that is what they hope will make it exciting for customers who discover the restaurant.
Aaron Snow, who has come from Franklin County several times, said it is becoming a favorite place. “It’s such a different experience than we’ve had near western Massachusetts,” Snow said.
Liu said diners may be intimidated at first, but he enjoys teaching people so they can understand what hot pot is.
“The first time is about learning, the next time we don’t need to teach you again,” Liu said.
