Today we’d like to introduce you to Austin Belt.
Hi Austin, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I found my passion for cooking in high school when I started working at a local pizza shop in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.(My hometown). I loved everything about it from prepping the items from scratch, to the cooking process, and my favorite part where we get to make people happy with the food we made them. I graduated from Central Piedmont Culinary school in Charlotte, NC in 2013 while also working at a gastropub and the passion continued to grow. After getting my degree my wife and I moved back to my hometown and I worked at a few great restaurants including S3, YOLO, and Grille 401 where I became a sponge for knowledge. From there we moved to Charleston which was such a treat because the culinary scene there is truly special. I worked at The Watch rooftop and Edmunds Oast and made some lifetime friends who also share the same passion. In 2019 we finally landed in Wilmington, NC(my wife’s hometown) and I love this city. It reminds me a lot of Ft. Lauderdale but I really enjoy getting to see all four seasons here. I worked as a Sous Chef at Kornerstone Bistro but when Covid struck the world that was when I decided to work on something for myself. From the training from several chefs in my past I developed a love for asian cuisine. From the ingredients to the cooking techniques I knew that was the direction I wanted to go. My wife and I started Banh Sai the food truck in 2020 which eventually took us to Banh Sai the brick and mortar where we partnered with the boys at The Half Bev(a local sandwich shop and an absolute gem in Wilmington). Every day I get to make people happy through food and I couldn’t be happier!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s been a relatively smooth road. I’ve enjoyed every kitchen I worked in and learned a lot from some very talented chefs along the way. When we started the food truck I got to be creative in my own way while at the same time had to continue to challenge myself to keep growing. Then world of culinary is vast but there’s always more to explore and it’s never ending which is the most exciting part. Surely there’s some struggles along the way but conquering those struggles and continuing to reach new heights is very rewarding and I’m lucky enough to have a solid team around me to achieve that.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I specialize in Asian fusion. We are best known for our rice bowls and burritos. The Banh Sai is jasmine rice with cucumber, jalapeno, cilantro, green onion, and pickled carrot and daikon(Vietnamese). then you get to add one of our 5 proteins including Fried or grilled chicken(Japanese), beef bulgogi(Korean), or for a veggie and vegan friends we have tofu or brussels. Each bowl/burrito get topped with sticky sauce(honey soy ginger) and our Banh Sai aioli and a little sprinkle of sesame seeds and togarashi(Japanese pepper blend). Together it makes for a well balanced fresh bite.
I also like to fuse Asian flavors with other styles of cooking. One of our most popular specials its The Kano where we take a pork katsu sando and top it with some southern flavors such as pickled jalapenos, kimchi pimento cheese, hot honey, and Banh Sai aioli. It’s been a top seller since it’s creation in 2020.
What sets us a part from others is our flavors are familiar but unique. We try to create items that can only be had at Banh Sai and our team absolutely crushes it every day!
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
My favorite childhood memories are definitely spending time with family going to the Florida Keys. It’s my favorite place in the world from fishing, wakeboarding, watching the sunset waist deep in a lawn chair at a sandbar with Jimmy Buffet playing in the background, and not to mention all the fresh seafood you can eat.
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