MINNEAPOLIS — An award-winning chef is expanding his culinary reach with a new restaurant in northeast Minneapolis.
And once again, Chef Yia Vang is honoring both his culture and his family in every last detail: from the menu, to the architecture, to the restaurant’s name.
“Vinai, to the Hmong people, is this name where, ‘Hey, this is a sense of hope. This is a sense of rest.’ And we hope that we can reflect that in the restaurant,” Vang told KARE 11’s Karla Hult inside his restaurant located at the former home of Dangerous Man Brewing on the corner of 13th Avenue and 2nd Street, Northeast.
Vang, a James Beard Finalist, started planning Vinai nearly five years ago. Despite pandemic-related delays, the 88-seat restaurant officially opens on Tuesday with a family-style menu focused on Hmong cuisine. And while the menu creatively reflects his culture and community, the restaurant is also poignantly named after the very refugee camp in Thailand – Ban Vinai – where Vang’s family and thousands of other Minnesotans lived after fleeing war in Laos and awaiting their new home in Minnesota.
“I’ve always said this is a love letter to my mom and dad,” Vang said last week, noting that his parents met at the camp; Vang himself was born there in 1984 before the family left for Minnesota in 1988.
“I can walk you through every single piece in this restaurant and how their legacy is reflected in these pieces,” he said.
Indeed, Vang proudly explains how the restaurant’s exposed woodworking reflects his dad’s first carpentry jobs in America, while the restaurant’s abundant plants represent his mother’s love of gardening and “green thumb.” Even a uniquely lofted ceiling – with exposed beams – mimics the design and shape of buildings and homes within the Vinai camp, Vang said.
“Dad always taught us we have to honor our past, know our past. It shows us where we’re standing in our present to know our trajectory into the future,” Vang said.
In terms of Vang’s present, he continues to flourish in multiple projects. His team still operates two separate locations of his first restaurant, Union Hmong Kitchen, which is also appearing again at the Minnesota State Fair and at U.S. Bank Stadium during Vikings games. Vang also still hosts “Relish” on PBS and “Feral” on the Outdoors Channel – both of which return for new seasons in September. And Vang continues to host his podcast, “Hmonglish.”
For Vang, every project seemingly reflects his mission of honoring those who’ve come before.
“It’s about living a life that can echo through eternity. And while their life is starting to echo, we want to echo back to them, saying, ‘Hey, this is what you mean to us,” he said.
To learn more about Vinai or make reservations, click here.