NOTHING comes close to Chamorro House when it comes to authentic local cuisine, and that makes the family-owned restaurant one of the few business establishments that are helping preserve local culture.
True to its name, Chamorro House is the place where visitors and locals can get the taste that is indigenous to the Marianas.
Now in its 20th year, Chamorro House remains the only local restaurant in the Garapan tourist district. The rest serve Japanese, Korean, Chinese and mainland American dishes.
The husband and wife tandem of Jess and Anicia Sonoda, owners of the restaurant, said it took a lot of hardwork, perseverance and dedication to bring the business to where it is now.
“This is the restaurant that serves and preserves authentic Chamorro cuisine that our local residents really love. In this way, we are contributing to the preservation of the local culture,” Mr. Sonoda said.
Coconut crab, kelaguen mannok (barbecued chicken with lemon and grated coconut), tinaktak katni (pounded beef in coconut milk), katdiyu (deep fried local fish with vegetable sauce) are some of the local cuisine served in Chamorro House.
The restaurant’s name alone attracts tourists.
“If you go to a foreign place, of course you would look for local food. It’s the same way here. If you are a visitor to Saipan, you would like to taste the local Chamorro food which we proudly serve,” said Mrs. Sonoda.
She added, “When visitors come in and taste our food, they not only visited Saipan, but also tasted Saipan.”
Chamorro House opened in June 1982.
Mrs. Sonoda, the former business manager for Pacific Daily News’ Saipan office, and her husband, then a manager for Deak Perrera’s Gold Trading and Foreign Exchange, served as the cook, waiter and cashier. A few years later, they ventured into real estate.
“My husband is someone who believes that working for yourself is the best, and if you are working for somebody else, you never get anywhere because you are being controlled,” said Mrs. Sonoda.
Mr. Sonoda, for his part, said his wife should get most of the credit for their business success.
“She’s a committed person. Once she sets her mind on something, she follows through. In the beginning it was very hard because she was the cook and I was the cashier. Through the grace of God, we’re still here,” Mr. Sonoda said.
In observance of its 20th anniversary in June, Chamorro House will serve dishes that they used to prepare back in the early 1980s. The prices will also be the same as what they were two decades ago.
Raymond Seiji C. Sonoda, Chamorro House manager and one of the couple’s children, said that as a child in the early 1980s, he considered the family business as a “small hut” surrounded by similar small huts.
Through the years, he said the other small huts became tall buildings unlike Chamorro House.
“That’s because it’s still a family business. Through the years, everything around us changed, everything got taller. They come and go, but not us. We’re still here,” said the 23-year-old manager, who is also set to open a coffee shop beside the restaurant in July.
Chamorro House, however, has not been spared from the economic uncertainties, but the Sonoda couple managed to remain in business.
“You have good times and bad times. Sometimes you just want to give up, but it’s like a child that you cannot leave,” said Mrs. Sonoda.
She was told in the past that only about 25 percent of those who put up a restaurant business succeeds. But this did not deter the couple.
“In fact, my wife’s response to that, is we want to be among those 25 percent—and we are,” said Mr. Sonoda.
Their five children have also helped them manage the restaurant.
“We’re not alone in this business. We are very thankful to our children, employees, customers, suppliers. We wouldn’t have made it without them,” Mrs. Sonoda said.
Prayers, according to Mr. Sonoda, have always been part of their lives.
The Sonoda family believes that their customer-oriented service also helped strengthen the business.
“We really listen to our customers’ suggestions. The customer is very important,” said Mrs. Sonoda.
When you’re in the restaurant, you also hear a lot of things that are happening on the island, and this is one of the things that the couple enjoy.
Mr. Sonoda said, “When I am inside the restaurant, I like to hear the sound of laughter, clanging utensils and drinking glasses. It just gives me a great feeling. You see people laughing, singing, crying—those are the things I’d really miss if we’re no longer in this business.”
