After a few years of quietly concentrating on their restaurant chains, including Mark Pi's Express, China Gate and Feast of the Dragon, the Pi family is making a new imprint on Columbus.

Mark Pi Jr. has opened Kogen's Far East Fare at 9711 Sawmill Parkway in Powell, and siblings Ko-Rely and Konan Pi plan to open Mark Pi's KoKo Light-Hearted Fare in October in the new food court at Nationwide Children's Hospital.

Kogen's is a particular passion for Mark Pi Jr.

He had attended Ohio State University but quit school to concentrate on the Columbus-based chains his father started in the 1970s. He also had to deal with the company's Chapter 11 reorganization in the mid-1990s, when it went from 90 stores across the United States to fewer than 30.

After more than a decade, and with his father in semi-retirement, the son, now 39, decided to create his own brand.

"I thought it was time for our family to get back into the full-service arena, and to make something family-friendly and fun," he said.

The name expresses his personal involvement. Kogen, he said, was the name his father wanted for him. (His grandmother prevailed in naming him after his father.)

He has spent nearly a year working on the concept, which features a menu of the sort he would want at home, offering dishes from Vietnam, Thailand, Korea, China and Japan.

The restaurant seats about 90 people, and a sushi bar backs up to a 36-seat patio. The bar serves about 40 rolls, and the menu includes dishes for children. Lunches cost about $7; dinners range from $11 to $16.

Meanwhile, Ko-Rely and Konan have taken charge of the new location and concept planned for Nationwide Children's Hospital.

"Our values are aligned with their values," Ko-Rely Pi said, in describing the use of ecologically friendly materials in the dining spot that will serve heart-healthy versions of items sold at a Mark Pi's Express.

"We want people to eat what they want and yet know that what they're eating is good for them," she said.

Although the space is only about 850 square feet, "We told our designers to create an oasis for people, a place where they can relax and ease some of their concerns."