I talked to Des Maki at the Hot Times Festival.

Location: 240 Parsons Ave., Columbus, OH 43205.

Tell me what you do and why you started doing it.

I make anime inspired cuisine. It is food inspired by the anime’s that I watch.

What is anime?

Anime is Japanese cartoons.

Is the food cooked or all raw fish?

No. It is cooked. The dishes can be from any culture. Mexican, Asian, Caribbean. It is whatever the character and their abilities inspire me to create.

How does someone order?

Right now, I don’t have a kitchen space or a food truck. Right now, I am only doing private bookings. I am working towards the goal of having a kitchen space. I look for venues that have a bar that doesn’t sell their own food. They allow me to come in and do pop up events.  Following my social media page on Instagram: @des_maki is the best way to find out where I will be next with my pop up and selling my food.  

Is there anything that I didn’t ask you that you think I should have asked you? If so, go ahead and answer that question.

Not only is all my food inspired by the anime; but, at all of my pop-up events, I dress in cosplays (the practice of dressing up as a character from a movie, book, or video game). It creates a vibe where they are getting the food and seeing me and my friends dressed in costumes. We encourage people to dress in a costume as well.