Sidharth Sethi acquired his passion for entrepreneurism from his father, Amit, whose
myriad business ventures ranged from restaurants to trucking to precious gemstones. “He’s been an entrepreneur his whole life,” Sethi says proudly.

Originally from New Delhi, Sethi’s parents moved the family around a lot when he was growing up. Born in California, Sethi moved to British Columbia, Canada when he was 8, where he attended high school at Yale Secondary and played point guard on the basketball team. When his team won the province tournament championship, the 5-foot-11 freshman savored the moment from the sidelines. “I didn’t get a minute of playing time, but I was on the bench experiencing everything,” he recalls.

During his teenage years, his father bought his first restaurant, and Sethi helped out as a busser, a cashier, and a server. “It was a great stepping-stone in getting my feet wet and understanding how things like operations, front of house, the kitchen, reports, and numbers work,” he says.

In 2012, the family moved to Washington. Sethi had dreamed of going pro in basketball—but he was realistic. “I knew that making it to the NBA would be very difficult at my height and athleticism,” he says. “If I couldn’t be a professional basketball player, I was going to be an entrepreneur.” He attended the University of Washington, with a double major in marketing and business management. Between classes, he worked at his father’s steak house and ultimately rose to general manager.

His entrepreneurial nature started showing itself during his sophomore year. The young go-getter launched his own clothing line of graphic tees, hoodies, jeans, and accessories, which he sold online and in stores like Kleen Kicks and Officials Vintage. Unfortunately, without the capital to create fresh and trendy products, he had to shut it down after two years. He then purchased his first restaurant on Camano Island, but due to the area’s limited market appeal, he sold it a year and a half later. More restaurants followed, including a casual pizzeria in Capitol Hill near the Space Needle. He reshuffled the management team, introduced new menu items, and added a third-party delivery service—and grew the restaurant’s popularity exponentially. “Mad Pizza was the first project where I was really able to make some money and prove to investors and lenders that I had the knowledge and expertise to operate a successful and very high volume restaurant,” he says of the venture.

It was chance that landed him on the Treasure Coast. By 2018, he was ready to expand his business— but not in Washington, where the cost of living was high. After deals in California, Arizona, and Texas fell through, the then-24-year-old went onto the online marketplace BizBuySell and came upon The Twisted Tuna in Stuart. It was a golden opportunity—a seafood restaurant with breathtaking ocean vantages. He bought the restaurant and moved to Palm City, handing Mad Pizza over to his uncle.

The Twisted Tuna now projects over $9.5 million in gross sales and ranks in the top one percent of privately owned restaurants in the United States. In 2019, Sethi picked up another restaurant, Tavolino Della Notte in Coral Springs, a 7,500-square-foot American-Italian fine dining eatery that now touts over $4 million in annual sales. And today, 26-year-old Sethi is wrapping up his biggest project to date: a 18,000-square-foot seafood spot named Fysh Bar & Grill with a seismic rooftop bar overlooking the Halifax River at the Port Orange Riverwalk, which he hopes to open by the end of the year.

With all of this going on, Sethi still manages to squeeze in a game of basketball every day and also enjoys lifting weights to stay fit. He contributes to children’s charities like Madison’s Miracles and Coast 2 Coast Youth Cheer Association and donates fresh meals to House of Hope and other local philanthropies.

Fast Talk

BEST QUALITY: “I’m kind, and I care about people—qualities I credit to my upbringing.” GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT: “There’s nothing more fulfilling than being able to financially support my family.” STYLE SECRETS: “I shop at Zara and Topman, and I have a serious shoe fixation.” GOOD ADVICE: “Love unconditionally and live life with pure intent.”

• Article written by Kerry Shorr