Shawn Naputi decided to become a chef when celebrity chef Alan Wong visited the island of Guam for a special dinner event. At the time, Naputi was still in high school in Guam, but says Wong inspired him to go to culinary school after his graduation. His teacher at the time said the best place was San Francisco’s Le Cordon Bleu, so Naputi filled out all the paperwork and went though the application hoops. He got in, lured in part by its seemingly grand location, near City Hall and the Federal Building, and all other grand civic landmarks.

When Naputi finally arrived in San Francisco, he was tossed into the middle of the city, and as it turns out, San Francisco’s Civic Center isn’t exactly the Shangri-La district of our fair city. His apartment was on Eddy and Larkin.

Suffice it to say, it was a bit of a culture shock coming from the sunny isle of Guam. He says he constantly called his family back in Guam, homesick. But Guam was stuck in his head in a different way. From the get-go, his idea was to open a Guam-inspired restaurant in mainland America. Naputi says he doesn’t know of any in the Bay Area.

After several years of working in various local restaurants (Incanto, Salumeria, Roxy’s), tonight is opening night for Naputi’s new Guam-inspired restaurant, named Prubechu.

His partner in the venture is another Guam expat, Shawn Camacho, former GM of The Palace. Together, they’ve taken over the old Roxy’s Cafe on Mission Street. The name translates to “you’re welcome” in Chamorro, the native language of Guam.

“Guam is a place where there’s been a lot of outside influences: Spanish, Filipino, Asian and even German, strangely enough,” says Camacho. “Through the years, they’ve adopted techniques from different cultures, flavors from different cultures.”

Naputi chimes in: “Dude, it goes way back. Guam is a big melting pot.”

The island has a long colonial history. Magellan discovered it for the New World, and it was settled by Spain. In the following centuries, Germany and Japan have both laid claim to it, prior to America taking it in as a territory after World War II.

Like Filipino food, the cuisine of Guam blends European (especially Spanish) and Asian sensibilities. Achiote, turmeric, soy and coconut are common ingredients. At Prubechu, Naputi will use local ingredients to give his childhood cuisine some modern and updated twists.

They will offer a five-course tasting menu for $40 (which includes two amuse bouche bites), as well as an a la carte menu will about seven dishes, priced from $3-$16.

“We’re just going to have fun. It’s not going to be super traditional. It will not be barbecue and salad and rice,” says Naputi.

Reservations can be made via text or by calling (415) 952-3654. Additionally, they are accepting reservations via email, the address is Prubechu@gmail.com.

Prubechu: 2847 Mission Street, near 24th Street, San Francisco