Photos by Jamie Plain
With an opening that met the hype of the Owensboro dining-out crowd, Fire Bowl owner Janet Gompers has not had a moment to breathe – and she sees it as a blessing.
Originally from Micronesia and growing up in Hawaii, Gompers said most of her life has been in Owensboro. Last year, however, Gompers returned to Hawaii because her mother was diagnosed with cancer.
“I went home to take care of her; I thought she wasn’t going to make it,” she said.
While in Hawaii, Gompers’ mother shared her regrets, and when the cancer treatments were successful, Gompers returned to Owensboro thinking of what her mother had shared.
Working in the restaurant business for 20 years, Gompers thought of two things she wanted – to spend time with her grandchildren and to own a restaurant.
Around that time, one of their grandchildren asked for a hibachi birthday party with a chef hat and grill in the backyard. Her husband, Charlie Joel, is a hibachi chef and their daughter-in-law made a TikTok video of the beautiful night.
“Suddenly she was asking if we could do it for others,” she said. “We thought ‘Could we quit and do that?’ and the answer was ‘Yes!’”
After a couple of private hibachi parties, one as large as 100, they found their groove with plans to expand to a takeout place for space and orders. Using their retirement as an investment, they started looking for space.
Gompers said that in Hawaii, kitchen space is often rented because food trucks are so popular, but they could not find this option in Owensboro. Still, they found the space in Halifax Square that housed El Tucan would soon be available, and since they were going to be a “grab-n-go” place, they thought it would work for a year until they could expand the kitchen. Private hibachi parties would continue, even bringing in two grills and chefs for rental, takeout hibachi and also making Hawaiian poke bowls, something that Gompers missed from her homeland.
“We would have four chefs in the kitchen and do deliveries and catering to go,” she said. “Six tables inside for those who wanted to wait.”
The chefs were curious about the poke bowl assembly – the contents of sushi in a bowl, and Gompers kept telling them not to worry – that people would come for hibachi first. But she wanted to add the bowls to the menu because they are part of her culture and “really plain but beautiful.”
They sent out invitations for a soft opening but there was nothing soft about it.
“I don’t know how this happened,” she said. “We knew we were going to be busy, but we didn’t have servers – it was going to be grab-n-go. We would keep two chefs onsite and two would do the private bookings.”
Within opening week, Facebook posts were made about their need for servers and asking people to be patient. And Owensboro reacted with encouragement and positivity.
“I was struggling while looking for servers, but it’s like God was on my side,” she said.
Some servers from her past job came in to volunteer and one person came in for an order and was hired.
“They are the type of servers I’ve always wanted; they’re just awesome,” she said. “My grandmother always talked about unanswered prayers.”
The poke bowls are a hit, and the kitchen expansion might happen sooner than they thought as more space for the ingredients is needed already.
“I was completely wrong in a really good way,” she said.
The Owensboro Food Critic gave a positive review on Facebook that Gompers’ mother jokingly asked if she had paid him to do.
“I had never met him before, but it was so nice,” she said. “I feel like all of this was meant to happen.”
Gompers’ happiness for the success can be felt on Sundays, the day of the week she never had off. She has worked in the restaurant business since she was 16 and worked every Mother’s Day. Fire Bowl is closed on Sundays.
“I have control of when I see my family,” she said. “We love and enjoy time with family so much, and it is such a luxury.”
The private hibachi parties are on hold until more chefs are hired, and Gompers said those clients understand even though she feels like she is turning her back on them because of the atmosphere and experience of those parties.
“People thank us for opening this,” she said. “I think it is because I love it so much.”
She said they do not plan to expand.
“It’s not our vision, but it never was our vision,” she said. “It’s just all been by accident.”
Fire Bowl is located at 3600 Frederica Street.
