From his earliest days, Gene Huh has seen the business side of things.
That’s because his family has a serious entrepreneurial bent that goes back multiple generations.
“I’ve grown up with it,” said Huh, who seven months ago opened Mom’s Teriyaki, part of a two-store franchise his family operates.
“Ever since I could remember, we had some kind of business.”
That kind of background meant Huh was working all kinds of jobs his formative years, learning the ins and outs of customer relations, and the most important thing of all: Getting along with people.
“Helping our customers through our businesses helped me to be a better salesperson,” said Huh, who warmly greets his regulars by name when they stroll into his eatery on Kent’s East Hill.
Huh, who operates Mom’s Teriyaki in sync with his mother, who runs their Auburn restaurant of the same name, said he’s hoping to find the same rapport with customers here as he did down in Auburn.
“In Auburn, I was like a personal chef,” he said, grinning at the remembrance of the families he served for seven years, watching their children grow up and come back as teenage customers.
This weekend, Huh is hoping to serve a mega dose of that personalized customer service. He’s one of the featured restauranteurs at the Kent International Festival, an ethnic extravaganza taking place Saturday at Town Square Park.
Mom’s Teriyaki will be serving its multi-ethnic entrees from a booth at the fair, and Huh is excited about the opportunity that represents.
“I think being involved with the community is the most important thing,” said Huh, who’s also made a point of hiring Kent-Meridian High School students to help run his restaurant. “Just to see the diversity of the community – that’s great.”
Huh’s menu could probably function as a starting point to illustrate some of that diversity. He chooses a sampling of favorites from three major Asian cultures: Japanese, Chinese and Korean.
That means you can order a Japanese dish like teriyaki or a Chinese fave like Kung pao chicken, and still expect to be able to try Korean kim-chee, homemade by Huh’s mother. Huh says half-jokingly that he has to hide the kim-chee, which is pungent enough to fill his restaurant with its aroma, if he’s not careful.
“It’s spicy, and it’s hot,” Huh said.
While the Auburn-based Mom’s Teriyaki has developed a steady customer base over the past seven years it’s been in operation, Huh is now growing his customer base in Kent.
It’s come from some unlikely quarters.
Like high school.
“The high-school kids, they’re the ones who spread the word,” Huh said, noting his restaurant’s Facebook page has about 400 fans now, now more than Huh’s personal page.
And his wait staff is helping out, too.
“I met them through Kent-Meridian (high school),” Huh said, noting they started out as customers.
Rena Feng, who is Chinese, just graduated from K-M and is planning to go to the UW. She’s a counterperson. Jimmy Le, who is Vietnamese and will be a senior next year at K-M, is a counterperson, too.
“This guy’s gonna learn how to cook,” Huh said, grinning broadly.
“I’m taking over – he just doesn’t know it yet,” said Le, who’s actually planning to become an engineer for Boeing.
For their Saturday gig, Huh and his staff will be selling teriyaki bowls (broiled chicken teriyaki served over rice and vegetables), as well as full chicken lunches.
As for growing a toehold in the Kent market, Huh noted it’s had its challenges, but he’s determined to succeed.
“This neighborhood’s really diverse,” he said. “Culturally fitting with their palate isn’t as easy (as it had been in Auburn.)”
But, “it’s going to be really exciting.”
FOOD ESSENTIALS
• WHAT: Mom’s Teriyaki, dine in or take out
• WHERE:23615 104th Ave. S.E.
• TIMES: 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday-Friday; Noon to 8:30 p.m. Saturday; closed Sunday
• CALL: 253-859-1327
Who else will be serving up entrees at the Kent International Festival:
Bowl Tong Thai Cuisine: 253-395-3370; Punjab Sweets: 253-859-3236; Los Agaves Mexican Grill: 253-520-3373
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