JTC 24: The Secret is in the Sauce

When Ya Xin Huang immigrated to the United States, she was in middle school. She had no idea at that time what kind of opportunities would be available to her for college.

She and her family arrived in Warrensburg, Missouri, from China in 2012, when she was 11. Huang not only had to learn how to adapt to a new stage of life at an awkward age, but also to a new country, culture and language.

"We were eager to create a life where we were not reliant on others, a stark contrast from our previous experiences," said Huang, who graduates in May from the University of Mississippi with a bachelor's in entrepreneurship. "The opportunity to establish our own life and pursue our dreams without depending on anyone else was the driving force behind our move, ultimately leading us to settle in Mississippi."

Huang has worked hard for her Ole Miss degree, and she has worked equally hard to develop and perfect her own hibachi sauce. The School of Business Administration has helped her through her journey to obtain both.

After two years in Missouri, Huang and her family moved to Clarksville, Tennessee, where her parents looked for work that didn't require fluency in English. Eventually, they found employment in the restaurant business as back-of-house employees, handling tasks such as dishwashing, food prepping, cooking and running deliveries.

In 2015, after a year in Tennessee, the Huang family moved to Mississippi, settling in Forest, a small community near Jackson. Here, Huang attended Hawkins Middle School and Forest High School, where she excelled academically, taking numerous AP classes and eventually graduating No. 6 in her class of 100 students.

During her freshman year of high school in 2016, Huang's parents borrowed $50,000 to finance their own restaurant, Hibachi Express. The family wanted the flexibility and stability of running their own business. The restaurant proved successful in the small town of roughly 5,000, and the Huangs have paid back their loans.

Most hibachi restaurants have their own form of "yum yum sauce," but Huang had a vision for her own concoction.

"I knew I could make one that was better," she said. Her Sing Sauce was born in the kitchen of her parents new restaurant.

Huang went from table to table, asking customers their opinions on the sauce. She tested it repeatedly, perfecting it for eight months, soliciting suggestions on spice, salt and various savory ingredients.

Within a year, the recipe was set.

During her senior year of high school, Huang applied to four colleges: UM, Mississippi State, Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia. She toured the two campuses in Mississippi and was impressed by the beauty of the Ole Miss campus.

In 2020, Huang enrolled at UM as a member of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College and a general business major. She received financial support through various merit-based and leadership scholarships.

The following year, she declared her major in entrepreneurship, and in 2023, competed in the Servin' the South Business Model Competition and the 2024 Gillespie Business Plan Competition, the two marquee competitions sponsored by the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, housed in the business school.

In the Gillespie competition, she received $1,250 as a finalist and won the Stephen E. Rowell Entrepreneurship Award worth $5,000.

The center identified Huang as a promising entrepreneur with a good product. The center's mentoring program pairs Ole Miss students with a successful professional in a similar field. Huang was matched with Karen Kurr of No Time 2 Cook.

"It was a delight working with Ya Xin on her Sing Sauce endeavor," Kurr said. "Of all the students I have worked with in the past, Ya Xin has been one of my favorites.

"Her discipline and perseverance are amazing. Having navigated the food industry myself, I know firsthand the obstacles to overcome. I have no doubt that we will see Ya Xin's sauce on grocery shelves in the future, and I will be a faithful customer, as her Sing Sauce is absolutely delicious!"

Huang plans to expand her sauce business after graduation. Her next steps include improvements in bottling, labeling and distribution.

"My immediate plans for the distribution and sales of the sauce involve several crucial steps," Huang said. "First, I aim to obtain all the necessary certifications and approvals required for packaging the sauce. This includes completing canning and Pathogen Reduction and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point classes at Mississippi State University this fall."

Once these regulatory milestones are achieved, she plans to broaden her distribution strategy, selling the sauce to grocery stores while simultaneously setting up an online shop for nationwide shipping.

"I first met Ya Xin in fall 2020 when she was a freshman taking my social entrepreneurship class, and when our paths crossed again three years later, she had her own sauce brand while managing her parents' restaurant," said Tong Meng, program director for the CIE.

"It's such a privilege for me to have witnessed her entrepreneurial journey through working with her in our business competitions and the CIE mentorship program. I wish her best of luck as she starts her new chapter of life."

See more photos from Ya Xin Huang's Journey to Commencement