ORLANDO, Fla. — As Central Florida’s food scene continues to grow and evolve with more award-winning restaurants emerging around Orlando, there is increasing demand for talented chefs.
During Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the owners of a locally owned restaurant group are highlighting the importance of investing in young chefs and helping them build long-term careers in the industry.
For Chef Huy Tin, a chef partner at Seito Sushi in Baldwin Park, being in the kitchen came naturally.
“I always knew, you know what? I wanted to be in the kitchen,” Tin said.
His passion for food started at home.
“My dad was a chef. I’m a second-generation chef,” he said. “You know, food is, food is the soul of our house growing up. I fell in love in the kitchen. You know, my mom, my dad cooking for me. That’s where love first started. That’s where they showed love to us.”
Tin said pursuing a culinary career was not always supported by his family.
“They didn’t like it, but, you know, because they came here from Vietnam, they wanted me to have a better life. But, you know, I followed my passion and eventually they got on board with that,” he said.
More than a decade later, Tin said he enjoys being part of guests’ special moments at Seito Sushi.
During Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the owners of a locally owned restaurant group are highlighting the importance of investing in young chefs and helping them build long-term careers in the industry. (Spectrum News/Massiel Leyva)
“I get to be a part of people’s celebration or a great day or a great date. Meeting people, you know, whatever experiences out in the dining room,” Tin said.
Seito Sushi owners Jason and Sue Chin said having the right team makes all the difference.
“How meaningful it is to, like, have the people that have been by your side and have helped you really build, to see them grow and to take their career to the next level, to really, to see what they’re what they’re made of and to try things out and to succeed. And seeing that whole process has been really, really inspiring,” said Jason Chin, founder of Good Salt Restaurant Group.
Chin’s journey in the restaurant industry began early. At age 18, he worked at his parents’ restaurant, the original Seito in Winter Park Village, around 2000. “They put me and my sister and her husband, all of us, to work, like, right away. So it was a true family affair,” Chin said.
The restaurant is also where he met his wife, Sue.
“We met at the restaurant. I was a dishwasher, and she was a server, and, yeah, that’s where it all began,” Chin said.
Today, Jason and Sue Chin have expanded the Good Salt Restaurant Group to six restaurants across the Orlando area, including Seito Sushi and The Osprey in Baldwin Park. The company employs nearly 200 people.
“The team really is everything. You know, that’s the big thing. And the most rewarding thing about the hospitality industry is, it’s just, it’s built on the culture of the team,” Jason Chin said.
The Chins said supporting employees and helping them develop their talents is a priority.
“We don’t think of our restaurants as the workplace. We want it to be somewhere you know, where our team can grow and, you know, evolve together. And we’ve seen, over the years, our leaders, become true leaders,” said Sue Chin, creative director of Good Salt Restaurant Group.
Tin has also taken on a new role as chef partner, expanding his responsibilities beyond cooking. “My job is to pass that pass along and empower our staff here. Train them and just make sure that they have all the tools they need to succeed,” Tin said.
They said the goal is to provide guests with more than just a meal by creating an experience and a place to celebrate and enjoy.
“We are very proud. And I hope, you know, we can make a little difference in the Orlando dining scene. And that we contributed a little part of something good here in Orlando,” Sue Chin said.