On Saturday nights at Solekara in Baldwin Park, executive chef/owner William Shen and his team will serve, offering an experience consisting of nature, art and what has grown in the heart, hospitality and humor, wonder and whim.
Each exquisite work tells a part of the story and moves on to the next part.
And it is the essence of Solekara, a literal translation from Japan.
And it means that every time you take a step forward you can’t go back.
And that means it won’t end.
At Sorekara, guests are moved from room to room.
“It’s time. Part of the experience I want our guests to understand is that every moment needs to be cherished because the two moments aren’t the same.”
The first stop in Sorekara is in front of a large painting. Its distinct beauty depicts the black and white Japanese calligraphy, the story of Shen’s relationship with the artist, why it leads to his conception, and what is surprising and clear. Here’s the first bite. Camouflaged in the smooth, black river rocks is made of two cocoa, elderflower and liquor.
External crack. The stone is a bonbon. It melts, as with all our expectations for what is before us.
It will be gorgeous – Daiguri on Shimizu Island in Matsushima, Ishijima in Kumamoto, Aji in Yamaguchi, and Kinmedai in Chiba each cuts out a showcase of Shen’s skills completely, but it is also playful. Cinnamon sticks, peanuts.
Or the tiramisu watch with ramjelly and mascarpone, its glass chocolate hand is set at the exact moment it was served.
There’s a magic here. And I was surprised by the shortness of joy. And laughter.
And the next morning, we find the team who made these idiosyncratic moments (and for $270 per person before a tax, tip or sip, “singular” is literally for many).
Shen and his crew are culinary chameleons hanging out between Solekara’s upscale fairy tales and the family-friendly Mills market vibe at Michelin-selected shows six days a week. Here they have a counter in Unigrill, so they are named after Shen’s dog, Uni. The manga plays the logo on the operation of slinging the Japanese power bars of Onigili, along with Conbini’s Fried Chicken, Currydo Stohash Brown, and more.
Solekara’s concept was that restaurateur and Mills market developer Johnny Tun fell violently and his wife, Cecilia Nuguen, whose family has been running the Tien Hang jewelry store since 1988 – stepped in when the deal was created.
The couple laughs at their memories.
“I thought, ‘Wait! Wait! Wait! Can you try his food? Has anyone tried his food?’
And Shen has put together tastings for Tsung and trustworthy chefs/partners. “Everyone,” says Nguyen. “I was blown away.”
“I think it’s when you know that a restaurant’s concept, vision and dreams are more than a flavour,” says Tung, whose confidence is thoroughly tested. “Everything else behind Solekara – the driving force – was more than just food.”
But food is at the heart of Mills Market, with this year’s Restaurant of the Year Hoodie Awards awarding Solekara and honors, with Shen’s Unizir and the latest food stall, Cowboy Curry, but there are many other voices in the culinary chorus.
Transformation: The Mills Market to Tien Hung’s Slow Morph is more than you can see
“The main attraction of all the older customers that was the main attraction of Tien Hang Market,” says they knew they wanted to maintain when Tien Hang began his morph to Mills.
There is the delight of Han Hyun, a celebrity chef and culinary director at Mills Market. Shaved ice with dragon fruit and longan layers from pans of fraquisalo and pork floss, Vietnamese dessert concept of tsun, Saigon snow.
There are Cantonese classics from Kai Kai BBQ by Jerry and Jackie Lau.
It’s all under one roof – accessible, affordable, incredible – and the line from the door says I’m not alone in my rating.
Jerry Lau’s career began at 14 in Chinatown, New York City, where he pushed dim sum cart and learned the art of barbecue. Customers lined up, took roasted pork and duck home, and ducks at his previous food stall at an iFresh supermarket on the road. Jackie’s handiwork – turnip cake, duck bao, dumplings – also had fanatics. I have been writing about Kaikai since 2019.
When he happened to see the food stalls closing, Ton, who had come for lunch several times, pitched the idea. They were able to join his team at Mills Market.
“We’re happy,” says Lau, who, like Shen, pitched to Zal while he was building out with his wife.
“It’s regaining the same concepts, the same culture, the same authentic food, but in a new space, it’s phenomenal! We’re seeing more and more new faces and many older regulars coming back.”
According to Lau, the market is a necessary evolution, with people moving out of state and older generations of Mills 50 business owners retiring. It’s positively changing the neighborhood.
“The younger generations are moving, they have different kinds of food in their way. And the customers we see are a lot of diversity… all different cultures… (the neighborhood) is booming. It’s like Manhattan style New York. Here you can walk down the streets and grab all kinds of food.”
Lau loves other chefs’ companies too.
“It’s beautiful!” he talks about his collaborations with Shen, Hyun and others. “I don’t care how old I am. I still want to learn. I love to taste. I love cooking.”
Hyun, the winner of “Top Chef” Season 3, who moved to Orlando seven years ago, says he gets excited every day.
“We have a lot of young chefs here. They want to do something new, but there are some chefs who have been cooking for decades,” Hyun says. “I’ve learned a lot from them and just have traditional and classic flavors. Chef Jerry showed me how to do barbecue betas that I haven’t learned in a French restaurant.”
Huynh said the market team is always looking to be innovative, but they never lose sight of tradition.
“This market has been here for a very long time,” says Nguyen, whose family merged with the original owner of Tien Hung when the two sisters married two sons. The shop was her playground as a little girl.
“We still have customers who come here and remember how we were all running around and climbing into our rice bags,” she says.
When the owner approached her with a plan to sell, it was one of the things she mentioned to her husband, and she asked her here that day.
“I said, ‘We have to come up with a plan. We don’t want to move. This is my home.”
Recently, Nguyen, once quarantined inside a glass-enclosed jewelry store, jokes that she loves all the activities, something like a zoo display.
“Like!” She says some people tell her they came after a long drive or that they’re just in from the MCO. “We’re our destination!”
Shen’s Kagawa-Acquired Udon Skills helped him win the Michelin Bib Gourmand Nod in 2024.
Now his own concepts, Unigrum and Solekara, are credit to the twins in the venue, running from different edges of the spectrum – but for the younger chef, they are just 31, so they are not.
“At the end of the day, food is food,” he says. “It’s about nutrition for people. It’s for the taste. It’s the most primitive thing.”
Reader’s choice
Winner: Aloha Hawaiian Kitchen, 6125 S. Semoran Blvd., #104, Orlando, 321-247-5042; alohahawaiiankitchen.com
Runner-up: Apopka’s Papa Diesel BBQ and Orlando’s Hamilton Kitchen
2025 Foodie Awards: Click here to see all the winners!
Find me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram @Amydroo or the OS Foodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie. Email: amthompson@orlandosentinel.com. Join Let’s Eat, Orlando Facebook Group for more foodie fun.
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