photo by Eliesa Johnson
Chef Yia Vang
Chef Yia Vang
Here's a little teaser that should soften the news of all the seasonal closings. Union Hmong Kitchen's chef Yia Vang, who we named as our 2019 Chef of the Year, has put a stamp on his 2020 plans.
After years of residencies and pop-ups, Vang will launch his first rooted restaurant later this year. While he's still staying mum on the exact location while he finalizes details, we know that the name of the project is Vinai.
photo by Eliesa Johnson
fish dish at vinai restaurant
Photographs of Vinai Restaurant by Yia Vang in Minneapolis, Minnesota. All photos taken by The Restaurant Project® 2019.
Vinai is short for Ban Vinai which is the name of the refugee camp in Thailand where Vang was born. He wants this restaurant to reflect the past, present, and future of Hmong cooking. "We are an echo of the past—but we get to write our future. Hmong food tells the history of our people, and the dishes I create tell the history of my parents." It's been a big year for Vang's storytelling, he's been featured on CNN, NatGeo, and other national media outlets as a compelling voice for the Hmong people and their cooking traditions.
He'll still run pop-ups with his Union Hmong Kitchen, but once Vinai is open all catering and operations will be centered there. Early next month Vang will launch a Kickstarter to help get things moving, but you can watch the socials and sign up for updates if you want to get the hot intel first. Tune into MyTalk 107.1 Weekly Dish on Saturday morning from 9-11am when Vang will be on talking more details about the upcoming project. So excited for this evolution and the coming chapters of Minnesota Hmong cooking and eating! 2020 is looking up.
Instagram: @Vinaimn
Facebook: VinaiMN
