When Charlotte restaurateur Shari Robins craves comfort food, she makes Wafu Pasta, a dish that blends Italian spaghetti with Japanese flavors like soy sauce, dashi and miso.
Wafu pasta is a “quick, mouthwatering, umami-rich meal that’s perfect for weeknights,” says Robins, owner of @sharigato_clt in Optimist Park. While the dish is not on the menu at her 24-seat hand-roll bar, other premium comfort dishes like miso soup, ube tempura fries and blistered shishitos are.
A native of Westchester, New York, Robins has spent decades navigating the ins and outs of kitchens from coast to coast, from the opening of an LA mini-market to a career in food-product development.
“I love Japanese food, and I’m comfortable and familiar with the country and the culture. No, I’m not Asian, but the dish expresses all the things that have inspired me,” Robins says.
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