Today we’d like to introduce you to Quinta Li.
Hi Quinta, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My story begins with a rather humbling series of rejections. Six years ago, I was 24 years old, fresh out of Columbia University with a Master’s degree in Art. On paper, my path in the art world was perfectly laid out. But I was harboring a stubborn childhood dream: I wanted to run a restaurant.
Right after high school, I had begged to go to culinary school, but my father strictly forbade it. So at 24, I decided to finally chase it. I walked into local restaurants and applied for the most basic jobs—dishwasher, waitress—just to get my foot in the door. The irony? I was rejected by every single one. I had zero experience, and nobody wanted to take a chance on me.
But then 2020 happened. The world paused, and an unexpected opportunity presented itself in my local community. With no one willing to hire me, I realized the only way into this industry was to build my own door.
I come from a family with a deep heritage in the traditional tea business. That background taught me the value of patience, brewing things slowly, and putting down strong roots. I named my restaurant ‘Ficus,’ like the resilient tree, symbolizing something that starts from a tiny seed but grows to be deeply grounded. To honor my roots, we started with a strong tea and beverage foundation, but paired it with the food I personally loved the most: French cuisine. We opened as a French-Asian fusion restaurant.
But the terrifying reality quickly set in—I was a founder who had never even worked a shift in a dining room. Because I lacked industry connections and couldn’t attract veteran restaurant staff, I leaned into my inexperience. As an artist, I was used to starting with a blank canvas. I adopted an ‘educator’s mindset.’ I treated Ficus like a startup and a school. I intentionally hired other passionate people who, like me, had zero experience. We didn’t have any traditional industry rules to follow, so we learned everything from scratch together. We became an incredibly tight-knit family figuring out how to survive.
And survival in this industry is brutal. The real turning point came when my first head chef left. We hit a wall, but it forced us to look closely at our reality. I brought on a new head chef who is Korean. As we experimented in the kitchen, we started paying close attention to our data, and I noticed something unexpected: the Korean-inspired dishes on our fusion menu were completely selling out, while the traditional French items moved slower. I looked around our town and realized there wasn’t a single Korean restaurant here. We had a massive, untapped market staring right at us.
We made the terrifying but necessary decision to completely pivot. We dropped the French concept, listened to what the community was actually craving, and went all-in on authentic Korean food.
Today, we are in our sixth year, and the restaurant is finally beautifully on track. Looking back, going from a clueless 24-year-old art grad whose dishwasher applications were thrown out, to where I am today, has been the hardest thing I’ve ever done. But it taught me that sometimes, the best way to build something extraordinary is to start with absolutely nothing.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
First, the absolute void of experience. I didn’t just lack restaurant experience—I had zero safety net. No one in my family had ever been in the food and beverage industry, so there was no generational knowledge to lean on, no playbook, and no one to call when things fell apart. When you start from ground zero with no guide, every single mistake is a lesson you have to pay for the hard way.
Second, the relentless pressure of the market. The hospitality industry is fiercely competitive. As a newcomer, we were immediately thrust into a saturated market, going up against established restaurants with seasoned teams and well-oiled systems. The market doesn’t care if you are a beginner; it tests you constantly, and surviving that initial shockwave while trying to find our own identity was incredibly daunting.
But perhaps the most profound struggle was the deep isolation of being a young, female founder fighting completely alone. At 24, navigating a grueling industry, I desperately looked outward for a mentor—someone to take me under their wing, show me the ropes, and tell me everything would be okay. But I quickly realized no one was coming to save me. I couldn’t find anyone to lead the way. So, I had to stop looking outward and start turning inward. I had to dig deep to find my own strength, trust my own intuition as an artist and an entrepreneur, and ultimately become the leader I had been searching for. That inward shift was the hardest, but most vital, part of the journey.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At its core, Ficus is a culinary reflection of the diverse world we live in—specifically, a seamless fusion of French, Korean, and American cuisines. But we aren’t just blending flavors for the sake of it. What we do and what we specialize in: Our ultimate goal is to create a unique culinary identity that belongs entirely to the Princeton community.
We take the refined techniques and elegance of French cooking, the bold, comforting soul of Korean food, and the approachable, innovative spirit of American dining, and we weave them together. We specialize in creating a signature dining experience that Princeton locals can proudly call their own.
Coming from a family with a long history in the tea business, we source our teas directly from my family. This direct lineage allows us to serve a caliber of high-quality tea that simply cannot be compared to other stores. From these premium leaves, we also craft highly creative, tea-inspired mocktails, bringing an artistic, modern twist to a traditional craft.
What I want readers to know: I want your readers to know that Ficus is deeply committed to Princeton. Every dish we serve is essentially our love letter to this town. When you sit at our tables, you are not just getting a meal; you are tasting the result of a team that started with nothing but passion, and you are participating in the creation of Princeton’s very own signature cuisine.
Physically and conceptually, Ficus is more than just a restaurant—it is a multi-dimensional creative space. We span two floors and are incredibly proud to feature the only rooftop in all of Princeton. Because of this unique and beautiful layout, we specialize in hosting a wide variety of private events, such as wedding reception, wedding rehersal, baby shower, bridal shower, and birthday party. We intentionally offer this space at a genuinely affordable price, because I strongly believe that a highly aesthetic, artistic environment should be accessible to everyone in our community to celebrate their special moments.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
If I have to choose a favorite childhood memory, it would be the countless hours I spent simply wandering the streets and alleys of Princeton. I moved to this town when I was 14 years old. Over the years, it has become my truest home—in fact, I’ve lived here longer than anywhere else in the world. I really can no longer call any other place home; Princeton is my only home, my safe harbor.
My fondest memories from those early years are just strolling through the town, discovering interesting little restaurants, and people-watching. I loved observing all the fascinating, diverse characters that make this community so vibrant. Looking back, those walks were when I first fell in love with the idea of hospitality. Seeing how these unique restaurants served as the heartbeat of the town planted the seed for my dream. I didn’t just want to open a restaurant anywhere; I wanted to build Ficus right here, in my sanctuary, to contribute to the very streets and the community that raised me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ficusbv.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ficusbonvivant/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ficusbv
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@ficusbonvivant
