by Ebony L. Morman

Chef and owner of Katsu Kart Perry Saito’s connection to the restaurant industry dates back generations. His dad is a chef who owned a sushi bar, his mother was a restaurant manager at a Japanese steakhouse, his grandmother worked in a seafood restaurant her whole life, and his great-grandfather owned a car hop in Myrtle Beach, Saito’s hometown. 

Because of this long line of hospitality experience, Saito started working in the industry at 13 years old — first at the sushi bar, then a couple of years later, he started working the line on the kitchen side of the restaurant, learning from his father and other talented chefs who came through. 

Yet his best food memories include his grandmother. Regardless of the meal, beans and rice were always present: butter beans, pinto beans, or black-eyed peas.

“My dad taught me how to cook professionally, but who taught me how to cook and how to cook with real love for your family was my grandmother,” Saito says. “My deepest food memory always revolves around a pot of rice and a pot of beans, no matter what else is on the table.”

Those memories and early food experiences remain with Saito today and were present years ago when he opened Katsu Kart. In Japanese cuisine, katsu is a recipe that involves frying breadcrumb-coated meat or vegetables. It’s typically cut into strips and served with a sauce. 

Well before Saito served his first customer, he knew that whatever he chose to serve, it needed to be relatable to the American public. It’s a struggle his father had as a man who grew up in Tokyo, Japan, was a trained French chef, and owned and operated a sushi restaurant in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina in the 1990s. The battle between authenticity and familiarity was constant, but it also was informative for Saito, who knew that a love for fried chicken sandwiches was already instilled in American culture. 

“My thought was that we were going to bring something new to that game,” he says. “We were just preparing and presenting something that was new, already familiar, and already established. So Katsu Kart at its core was just a new addition to something that everybody else was already doing.” 

His concept and his focus led to near-immediate popularity, including winning the UPPY for Food Truck of the Year in 2022.

This year, Katsu Kart will celebrate three years in business. For more than two of those three years, Saito has been serving up sandwiches, loaded fries, and more to Katsu Kart’s fans and patrons of HopFly Brewing Company. The brewery has been home to them, a place they can rely on. Most food trucks, not just Saito’s, have some of their biggest successes resulting from partnering with breweries. 

“It’s a really symbiotic relationship, and it’s something that’s very important, I think, for food trucks’ survival, at least in Charlotte,” he says. “I think that’s why you see so many successful food trucks, as well as breweries in Charlotte, because you are able to give each other a little boost on a weekend or whatever day we’re there.”

Whether on the food truck or in a restaurant, Saito tends to keep only a few things in mind when curating and executing menu items. Productivity, timing, simplicity, and execution are all important. This is why the five sandwiches on their regular menu all have no more than five ingredients: imported Japanese milk bread, shaved cabbage, protein, mayo, and sauce. 

In terms of execution, each menu item has to be a dish that anyone can execute, from chef John Gamble—who has worked on the truck since day one — to his 14-year-old son, who helps out regularly. 

“I think things can be simplistic and advanced as far as flavor components, and a lot of the sushi bar stuff helped me with that,” Saito says. “Even if it’s five things, we take those items, and we make them as perfectly as we can and with as much flavor and depth as possible.” 

This same mindset extends to specials, which run each week. Saito’s run more than 200 of them in the past three years, rarely serving the same special on consecutive weeks. They’ve included the Katsu fried mozzarella sandwich (fresh mozzarella, fragrant basil, crispy mortadella, and roasted red peppers) and the Katshu crab cake sando (fried jumbo lump crab cake, baby greens, and remoulade sauce).  

An exception was when Saito wanted to flex his creativity even more and push himself out of his comfort zone to create the most indulgent and priciest item ever served at $115: an A5 wagya sandwich Only 16 of the A5 wagyu sando were sold and in addition to the wagyu, were made with caviar, a duxelle made with Urban Gourmet Farms mushrooms, caramelized onion jam, and a special Katsu sauce.  

“It wasn’t my style but it was something that was very good and people were very excited about,” he says. “It was exciting for me to be able to do that and offer something cool.”  

That was a unique instance, and even Saito doesn’t know if or when it’ll ever happen again despite the fact that it’s been requested. One of the biggest reasons why it might not make a cameo is Saito’s commitment to making affordable food. The highest item on the regular menu is the minced beef sandwich ($16). 

“I never want to overcharge somebody for something,” he says. “I don’t think that equates to a perfect meal, and keeping things priced evenly is important. With the specials, I always try to do something that is going to be different and exciting, but also, I try to keep everything within a decent price range.” 

As Saito continues to grow as a chef and push the bounds of his creativity, there’s at least one misconception that’s been tough for him: that he’s the food truck sandwich guy, he says. But he’s more than that. A recent pop-up can serve as evidence. In February, Saito and John Gamble hosted a 10-course tasting menu of classic Japanese Izakaya offerings with beer and sake pairings at Restaurant Constance. 

“I’m very Southern,” Saito says. “I think that’s something that I’m trying to explore and tell that story a little bit more. I come from tobacco farmers, South Carolinians, and I grew up very, very deeply in that environment and culture. I think once we get [new projects] all out, I think it’ll show more of what I’m capable of and what I do.” 

Those new projects include resuming food truck scheduling, which means the truck will be at various locations throughout Charlotte each week. Plans for at least two pop-ups are also nearly finalized. On June 26, Saito will host a pop-up with chef Hector Gonzalez-Mora of Noche Bruta. It’ll be the kickoff of a summer dinner series hosted by Hex Coffee and Natural Wines and features multiple chefs throughout Charlotte. On July 2, Saito will draw inspiration from his upbringing in Myrtle Beach as he works alongside Larry Suggs of Humbug to host a pop-up event that pays tribute to hot summer nights at the beach. 

With experiences like these, Saito’s goal is to expand the truck’s reach and introduce a new version of Katsu Kart which will showcase his team’s other strengths, he says. 

“I am looking to bring South Carolina low-country staples to Charlotte utilizing Japanese flavors and technique,” Saito says. “This will all, hopefully, come together as we look to open a brick and mortar in the future.” 

For now, you can find Katsu Kart at HopFly Brewing Co. Wednesday through Sunday. After June 23, the truck will be at different locations throughout the city. Check their Instagram page for updates on where to find them around Charlotte and more information regarding upcoming events.