Blue Bamboo Canton Bistro Chef Dennis Chan named Small Business Person of the Year for Florida

Jacksonville Chef Dennis Chan has earned national recognition for his business acumen and leadership of his iconic restaurant — Blue Bamboo Canton Bistro — as well as its contributions to the community and economy.

The U.S. Small Business Administration has named Chan as the 2022 Small Business Person of the Year for Florida. Chan, who grew up in the restaurant business and is carrying on a family legacy, is a nominee for the national award.

The SBA award recognizes the achievements of outstanding small business owners and entrepreneurs nationwide. It also honors the contribution that their business has made to their communities and the nation's economy,

Chan and the other state winners will be honored on May 5 during a virtual summit celebrating SBA's National Small Business Week (May 2-5) when the national winner will be announced.

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"It's really an award for the community because for Jacksonville to have a Small Business Administration award for the whole state really says something," Chan told the Times-Union, adding that he was "very excited" by the award.

Chan literally grew up in the restaurant business. Starting when he was 5 years old, Chan would stand on a stool to watch his beloved grandfather cook meals at their family's Jacksonville restaurant. His parents carried on that tradition. Their family had a total of 13 restaurants specializing in authentic Cantonese cuisine since the 1940s.

Working in his family's restaurant, Chan pursued his childhood dream of having his own restaurant. He graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and then interned with widely respected chef Ming Tsai at his Blue Ginger restaurant in Boston.

Returning home to Jacksonville, he opened Blue Bamboo in 2005 at its original Southside location. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, he relocated and expanded — opening Blue Bamboo Canton Bistro in late December 2020 at its current location, 10110 San Jose Blvd. in Mandarin. Chan's dream restaurant, it was built from the ground up to his visions and specifications.

"I wanted to continue that [family] legacy and do it at a level where people could be proud of having this in our community," Chan said.

The toughest challenge he's faced is "moving and building a brand new building in the middle of a global pandemic."

Chan said he was at a loss for words when right before construction began, his bank called and "asked what our Plan B was" because of the pandemic.

The answer was straightforward.

"We continued to do what we do best, take care of our customers and we reached out to them and made sure they enjoyed all their experiences with us and hence we stayed in business," he said.

Chan lauds the restaurant's staff who he said are dedicated to providing their customers with the best possible experience.

The SBA award is the most recent for Chan and Blue Bamboo.

In 2018, he won the General Mills’ Neighborhood to Nation Recipe Contest for his Mandarin orange cake. He also authored the bestselling cookbook "Hip Asian Comfort Food." Chan also is active in community events such as Caring Chefs, an annual fundraiser benefiting the nonprofit Children's Home Society.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville chef Dennis Chan honored by Small Business Administration