Plans for high-end sushi pop-up at Hillsborough's "Flintstone House" halted
A plan to use the distinctive "Flintstone House" in Hillsborough as the location for a pop-up sushi restaurant has been put on hold after police raised zoning issues with organizers.
The news about the pop-up surfaced last week after social media posts by organizers Stoneage Catering, LCC. Posts said a 15-course Japanese tasting menu prepared by Chef Masa Sasaki, who earned Michelin stars at his now closed restaurants Maruya and Sasaki would be available along with a tour of the unusual home on Berryessa Way that can be seen while driving along Interstate Highway 280 in San Mateo County.
Opening night was planned for July 12th and the reservations available for the meals that carried a price tag of $230 per person. The initial batch of reservations was reportedly snapped up within 15 minutes when they were made available last Thursday.
However, the Instagram account linked to the pop-up posted a message Monday afternoon that the plan for the restaurant would be paused.
"We would like to inform our valued clients and supporters that, due to concerns raised by the city of Hillsborough, we have temporarily paused our catering operations at this location," the statement posted on the Stoneage Catering Instagram account read. "As a catering business, not a restaurant, we are diligently working to address these issues with Hillsborough and will keep you updated on our progress. In the meantime, we are excited to bring our services to new venues."
The post also noted that anyone who made a paid reservation would be refunded.
When CBS News Bay Area inquired with the Hillsborough City Council regarding the concerns raised, the city clerk emailed a letter that was sent to property owner Florence Fang by the head of code enforcement with the Hillsborough Police Department.
The letter basically said the property is located within a single-family residential zone and that the operation of a restaurant and other commercial uses were not permitted in such a zone, even on a temporary basis.
CBS News Bay Area later received a separate statement from Sean Fang and Tim Cheung, the co-founders of Stoneage Catering LLC.
"We have decided to pause our operations as we prefer to work collaboratively with Hillsborough. We would like to clarify a misconception: we are a catering company specializing in 'homakase' - bringing Michelin-starred chefs to create bespoke omakase experiences in private homes - not a restaurant," the statement said. "Unfortunately, we have been incorrectly classified as a restaurant, which has led to this misunderstanding. We look forward to working with the city to resolve this issue and resume offering our unique culinary experiences to our clients."
