Emmy award winner brings Southeast Asian cuisine concept to Tampa

An Emmy award-winning entrepreneur and restaurateur is bringing his southeast Asian cuisines concept to Tampa with an expected open date of June 26. 

Sunda New Asian will open in Midtown Tampa, the $1 billion mixed-use space, at 3648 Midtown Drive. Billy Dec, who is behind the concept, says in a press release that the opening is a “full circle moment” after spending his life visiting one side of his family in Southeast Asia while also spending time on the Gulf Coast of Florida. (Dec won an Emmy Award in 2009 from the Chicago/Midwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for Journey to Sunda, a production based on the development of the restaurant, according to New York magazine.)

The restaurant was founded in 2009 with the first locations in Chicago and Nashville. The concept modernizes cultural food and drink in Southeast Asian countries with new ingredients, cooking techniques and presentation, the release states.

The menu features a sushi bar, dim sum, noodles, salads and rice dishes. 

Dec is also the founder and CEO of The Underground Nightclub, The Underground Cocktail Club and advertising agency COACT, all based in Chicago. He’s been featured on NBC's TODAY Show and shown up in well-known TV shows including "Criminal Minds" and "Empire," though his IMDB page extends well beyond that with Dec having 25 actor credits. Dec also has his own podcast called “The Meal of Your Life!” and is currently producing a new documentary for PBS called “Food Roots.”