Haeun Yi, Co-Owner, Shilla Korean Restaurant

Haeun Yi and her parents Sung and Moon Yi opened Shilla in 2016, making it one of the area’s first full-service Korean restaurants.

“​​Even before my dad came to the U.S. in 1977, he worked with food with my grandmother in open-air markets in Korea,” says Haeun. “When he came to the States, he opened a little spot in Tampa. Since then we’ve moved farther south, a little at a time, until we settled here in Sarasota.”

When Shilla opened in a North Beneva shopping plaza, “there was nothing there,” says Haeun. “At first, we wondered if there was a future here for us. My parents are getting older, but I really wanted to open a restaurant that I could have more of a hand in. The Sarasota market for restaurants is so different than any other market. We’re not great at social media marketing and we didn’t advertise, [but] the day we got the call from the county to open, there was a line out the door. We were so surprised by the word of mouth in Sarasota.”

Since then, Shilla’s loyal following has grown, and Haeun recognizes most customers who come in. “The restaurant business is so fun,” she says. “You meet great people, and when you can [serve a] product that’s prepared with love and care, there’s a lot to be proud of. It makes us so happy to see people enjoy our food. I know Korean culture has been trending for a few years, but having people learn about the food and opening them up to learning more about Korea is so exciting.”

Olivier Georges, Co-Owner, Antoine’s Restaurant

Angela and Olivier Georges are a hospitality power couple. Angela hangs back in the kitchen preparing the restaurant’s traditional French dishes, while Olivier exercises his irresistible charm out front. They’ve been delighting guests at Antoine’s since 2013.

“We are a mussels restaurant, mostly,” says Olivier. “In Belgium, where we were living before here, it’s the national dish. We call it moules-frites.” However, he adds, “everything Angela makes is so good. I think her scallops are to die for.”

Olivier says Angela “went to school for everything but culinary arts. She has a collection of degrees, like anthropology and languages. She speaks four languages and was a translator. But she also always worked in the restaurant business to pay the bills. I don’t think she ever imagined she’d be a chef one day and then it happened and here we are.”

“As for me, I love people,” he continues. “I love to meet people and to serve people. I love to wow people. I love to see people who are happy to eat my wife’s food. I love when it’s super busy and I’m in the zone. It’s my favorite time of day—that’s when everything works perfectly. I love it here every single day.”

Rob DiSilvio, Owner, Casa Masa

Casa Masa owner Rob DiSilvio may not be a classically trained chef, but he is obsessed with creating the perfect recipe. He spent months tinkering with ingredients and proportions for his blue corn tortillas, the base of everything on the restaurant’s menu.

“We might move away from Mexican authenticity in our proteins, with really fun stuff like duck carnitas,” says DiSilvio. “But underneath the proteins are the traditional ingredients. The essence of a taco is the tortilla. Because ours is uber-authentic, I feel like I’m able to exercise some fusion with my proteins.”

To make those tortillas, DiSilvio orders 4,000 pounds of blue heirloom corn at a time and cooks it in an alkaline solution, a process known as nixtamalization. “It steeps overnight, then it gets rinsed to get some of the husk off—but not all of it—and then we grind it with volcanic grinding stones,” he says. “It took me six months to  figure out how to do it.”

The restaurant was known as Island House Taqueria before DiSilvio rebranded it in 2023. He’s in the process of opening a second Casa Masa in The Landings shopping plaza later this year.

“I think diners’ expectations are on the rise and they are less tolerant of food that’s just OK,” says DiSilvio. “The demand for everything is increasing here, and that is driving the demand for great places to eat.”

Kwan Taylor, Owner, Thai Bistro

Kwan Taylor wear’s Thai Bistro’s title of “Venice’s first Thai restaurant” with great pride.

“I’ve been cooking since I was very young—cooking with my mom all the time,” she says. She moved to the U.S. from southern Thailand in 2001 to pursue opportunities for her daughter, who has since graduated with a Ph.D. from the University of South Florida. Taylor worked a variety of jobs before opening Thai Bistro in 2005.

“Thai Bistro has given me everything,” she says. “I love the people here in Venice.”

One might think that Taylor would be ready to take her foot off the gas after running a restaurant for nearly 20 years, but she has no intention of slowing down. “I like to work because when I’m at home I get bored,” she says. “I’m active and hyper. I talk loud and I love people, so this business is great for me. I love to entertain and have fun with people.”

Taylor creates all the restaurant’s recipes herself, and jumps in to cook when a kitchen employee is out. “My favorite dishes are the ones I’ve brought from my hometown,” she says. “Everyone loves my food, and that feels good.”