Recognizing Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month – Midori Sushi

Note: The article below was written by Sarah Barden and published in Tompkins Weekly, June 17-23, 2020 issue. Some details may have changes since the original publishing of this article. Photo Credit: Sarah Barden.

GreenStar Food Co-Op opened its new location at 770 Cascadilla St. in May 2020. The flagship store boasts an expanded selection of prepared foods with an emphasis on vegetarian and vegan options. This extends to even the sushi bar, where regular shoppers may notice both a change in the menu and a new name – what was once Sushi with Gusto is now Midori Sushi.

Midori Sushi is an independent business owned by the Myint family, who have been making sushi for GreenStar since 2014. The family first approached the co-op’s management about making this change two years ago. The move to a new space presented them with an opportunity to finally launch their own brand, so the two businesses transitioned in tandem.

Ye Myint has been a sushi chef for 16 years. He grew up in Burma, but it was during his four years living and working in Japan that he developed an interest in the culture and cuisine. In 2003, he and his family moved to the United States in pursuit of new job opportunities, and it was stateside that he found training as a sushi chef.

After working for other sushi bars and developing his skills, in 2007, Myint started his first business – a franchise of Sushi with Gusto – in Greenville, South Carolina. The business was successful, and in 2011, he had a choice: the company wanted to expand, so he could either take his franchise rights to Miami, Florida, or Ithaca, New York.

Ithaca turned out to be the strategic choice, and Ye Myint’s sushi was soon sold in every dining hall at Cornell University, at P&C Fresh at East Hill Plaza and at GreenStar. Scaling the business to this degree required a lot of attention, so it was natural that the rest of his family would eventually become involved.

“When I was bored, I’d go help out with little side jobs,” said Ye’s daughter Haythi Myint. “I’ve been learning to make sushi since high school.”

Haythi, now 20 years old, is attending Clemson University and pursuing a degree in engineering and management. Her older brother, Moekhent Myint, age 26, lives in Virginia.

“They are very helpful because we have a lot to take care of,” Ye Myint said of his children.

Both are still very engaged, with Moaekhent offering remote technical assistance and Haythi managing inventory and ordering supplies.

“Within our family, we’re always connected with the sushi business,” Haythi said. “So, we’re always helping out my dad. Whatever he wants to do, however he wants to grow the business, we’re always there to help out. We’re the brains of the business, and he’s the hands – making sushi!”

The Sushi with Gusto franchise offers Ye a variety of rolls, and he could choose to make and sell whichever had the highest demand. It became clear that GreenStar’s shoppers were looking for rolls that didn’t exist in the franchise. A few years ago, Ye Myint decided to scale back since the number of accounts had become difficult to handle. Conveniently, making sushi for only P&C Fresh and GreenStar allowed the family to begin planning for their next endeavor: Midori Sushi.

“Midori means ‘green’ in Japanese, so it fits perfectly with GreenStar,” Haythi explained.

However, the name is not just cute; it’s symbolic.

“We changed most of our products so it’s all natural,” Haythi said. “Our wasabi ginger is all natural – there’s no food coloring or artificial flavors.”

They also avoid preservatives and opt for fresh ingredients whenever possible.

GreenStar’s management is excited about the new direction.

“They’re really a great family to work with, and they’re open to doing whatever our customers are looking for here,” said Director of Operations Chad Smith. “One benefit [of Midori] to our members is that some of our customers want some different things: they want brown rice instead of white rice, for example. So, it gives us more of a direct line.”

Since they no longer need to adhere to franchise requirements, they can now make adjustments more quickly.

“If he comes up with a new sushi roll that he wants to put in the menu, we just quickly do it,” Haythi Myint said. “Our sushi bar now is more colorful. It’s more visually friendly. [For example] we have new containers with our vegetarian rainbow roll. It’s super colorful: mango, bell pepper, avocado and all different types of veggies. When you eat it, you just get a pop of flavor in your mouth.”

Ye Myint was excited about the addition of the spicy inari – a fried tofu bean pouch filled with vinegared sushi rice and finished with toppings from shrimp to avocado.

To help customers become more familiar with their menu, Haythi will be posting pictures and descriptions of their rolls on Instagram @midori_ithaca.

This flexibility will also allow them to be more creative with product families. In the future, they’re hoping to be able to do made-to-order sushi, as well as preordered party trays and a variety of chef’s specialty rolls. Unfortunately, due to the impact of the pandemic on shopping habits, the daily sales are about half of what they had projected, which has caused them to delay the introduction of these new ideas.

In the meantime, Haythi and Ye hope that customers will come visit Midori’s sushi bar for a meal to go and try something different than what they’re used to.

“Our rolls are made fresh every day,” Haythi said. “It’s very price friendly. People can come and grab quick to-go for lunch or dinner.”

Midori’s sushi bar is located in the prepared foods section of the new store, just past the fresh produce and across from the cheese case.