Sin' means "warrior" in Chamorro, the language of the people indigenous to the Mariana Islands, including Guam. It's a fitting name for Nicholas DeCaro, professionally known as Chef Sin'.
He opened his Island Style Food food truck the month after COVID hit, but it grew so fast he just opened a brick-and-mortar location on North Division Street on Nov. 15. And he's not done yet. The chef, artist and entrepreneur already has more plans in the works to keep expanding, keep improving and keep up the good fight.
Pacific Islanders and foodies already knew the truck for its hand-rolled lumpia, a kind of Filipino fried spring roll (three for $6); locally sourced Kalbi, also known as Korean short ribs ($18); Halo Halo, a cold dessert with condensed milk, coconut heart and ube ice cream ($9); and made-fresh-daily finadene and house special Pika Pineapple sauces. Now, old and new fans alike can get their fix of Pacific Island and Asian fusion food year-round at the permanent location.
Chef Sin' grew a big community following with savvy marketing and deep roots in the city, gaining over 8,000 combined social media followers and high profile fans like Gonzaga's star forward Anton Watson and University of Washington's tight end Devin Culp. Now the community has a new space to gather and grow. DeCaro, who's also a trained artist, spared no expense in creating an inviting, invigorating experience.
"I'm a dream big kind of guy," he says. "I am also the kind of guy that does whatever it takes not to fail, sometimes at the expense of my health."
Modern, industrial-inspired lighting lines the walls, with ocean blue booths and live foliage at each table. An open-concept kitchen nods to a food truck feel, complete with a self-serve sauce counter that lets patrons customize every dish. There's "real toilet paper" in the restroom because "I judge a restaurant by their bathrooms," DeCaro says. But the most elaborate expense is right at the entrance: a vapor feature that looks like dancing flames, backlit by sunset colors and surrounded by dense jungle plants. He's dubbed it the "selfie wall," where influencers, athletes and community members all pose for photos after an incredible meal.
As if opening a restaurant weren't enough, Chef Sin' is getting ready for another season with the food truck next spring, except he's building a 24-foot food trailer to expand his operation on wheels. He's already signed on to cater five weddings next year, is working to sell his Pika Pineapple sauce wholesale at local grocery stores, and is thinking about a merch and retail counter at his own restaurant.
"I'm never 100% happy," he says. "When I reach a goal, it's fulfilling, but then I set the next goal and keep moving on. So while I enjoy it, there's never going to be an end target. I don't know what I'm going to do when I'm old and in a wheelchair. Maybe I'll come up with a wheelchair hubcaps."
While DeCaro creates, designs, cooks and dreams, he usually has other people on his mind. He loves to help customers understand where his food comes from — "There are more Pacific islands than just Hawaii," he says — and he knows he doesn't do this work on his own. Within just a few weeks of opening, Island Style already hosted a fundraiser for one of its staff members struggling with diabetes and losing his eyesight. While DeCaro doesn't complain about the number of hours he's putting in every week, he doesn't downplay some personal battles, either.
"While on the exterior, it looks like we've had this tremendous growth and all this is happening," he says. "But me and my family are still human. We still have a lot that we're going through personally, we just might not share it as much as others. And that doesn't mean our problems are any bigger or smaller. But my family and my crew — we've sacrificed a lot to be here."
Island Style Food & BBQ • Open Wed-Sun 4-9 pm • 2931 N. Division St. • Instagram: @island_style_food • 509-315-9478
