Jean Garcia Villalona

Sando

Chef Jean Garcia Villalona was born and raised in the Dominican Republic, where he got a bachelor’s degree in Hospitality majoring in Foods and Beverages. He began working in the restaurant industry while in college and sharpened his cooking skills in several restaurants in the country serving in all positions of the kitchen.

In 2014, Chef Jean moves to Miami...

In 2014, Chef Jean moves to Miami where he spends 2 years opening and running the kitchen of a Caribbean restaurant. After that, he worked and gained additional experience in French and Spanish cuisine. Several years after, Chef Jean starts working in a Ramen shop in Miami where he develops a special interest in Japanese and Asian food.

When the global pandemic of COVID-19 closed down the world, chef Jean and his wife Federica Schael, who is also a chef, started doing pop ups around Miami and chef Jean also helped the local community with World Central Kitchen.

Sando starts as the result of the success of these pop ups with Chef Jean and Federica’s passion for cooking and it’s founded with Chef Jean’s brother Juan Garcia Villalona as a business partner. Sando is a Japanese inspired restaurant that was created to serve made from scratch Katsu Sandos with Latin infused flavors and influence while maintaining traditional Japanese techniques.