Three decades after Shinae Kim’s mother first served her signature teriyaki sauce, the family recipe is now available in bottles. Kim and her husband, Adoune Inthavong — co-owners of Blaine’s SKAI Sushi — are selling three varieties of the sauce: original, spicy and golden (kung pao-style).
Kim’s mother, Yong Soon Kim, created the original recipe in 1994 and served it at Birch Bay Teriyaki, a family restaurant that was owned from 1997 to 2011.
Kim said the community support has “been amazing” since it was announced on social media that the business would bottle and sell the sauce, and that she’s grateful to have had their support at the families’ businesses for over 30 years.
Last weekend, Kim, Inthavong and their son, Antonie, debuted the bottled sauces at the Tacoma Holiday Festival, where the products received positive feedback from customers.
“They were blown away, they really loved it,” Kim said.
The sauces are made in SKAI Sushi’s kitchen and are then processed, bottled and sealed in Burlington before being sent back to be labeled.
All three flavors are available for purchase when ordering for pickup and at Beachwood General Store, where SKAI Sushi is located. Soon, customers will also be able to order them online from the website to be shipped directly to them.
Kim and Inthavong are also working on a gluten-free version of the teriyaki sauce for those with dietary restrictions.
