Yum Yum Sauce runs in Terry Ho’s veins

ALBANY — Terry Ho’s ties to the restaurant industry are strong. But it’s Ho’s business acumen that has allowed him to make a name for himself in dining establishments and households throughout the country and has created job opportunities in southwest Georgia.

According to Lee County Chamber of Commerce President Winston Oxford, Ho’s Yum Yum Sauce business, which is named for the signature sauce created by the businessman, employs “around eight people” in a 15,000-square-foot facility located off U.S. Highway 82 in the Lee County Business Park.

Ho was born in Taiwan into a strong culinary family. Both his parents and grandparents worked in the restaurant business, and he has continued their legacy.

The family moved to the United States when Terry was 12 years old and opened a restaurant in Arizona. A year later, they moved to Albany, where the family opened the House of China restaurant.

Terry Ho started off working in the kitchen of his parent’s restaurant as a cook and a bus boy at the age of 13. He eventually grew in the profession and, according to his website, has now opened more than 20 restaurants throughout the South.

Ho’s fast casual Japanese restaurant, Hibachi Express, was the first to serve his Yum Yum Sauce with each meal. It was in such high demand in the restaurant that Ho decided to bottle it. The sauce has been a popular condiment in all of his eateries since.

Terry Ho’s Yum Yum Sauce is now available in most grocery stores nationwide. He has also since created a Japanese Ginger Dressing that is available at select Walmart Supercenters.

Oxford said that the Yum Yum Sauce and Japanese Ginger Dressing created at the business in Lee County have been so successful, Ho has talked about adding an additional 18,000 square feet to the plant to ramp up production.

Ho elected not to talk about his business plans “at this time.”