One of seven siblings, Yia Vang was born in a Thai refugee camp, where he lived until his family resettled in central Wisconsin. He is a trained chef who began as a dishwasher and is now a restaurateur who has the ability to use food to tell a story. Through sourcing in-season ingredients and combining local traditions with those from his family and culture, Yia brings Hmong flavors to American palates and invites people to change how they think about food.
His new restaurant concept, Vinai, is slated to open in 2022 in northeast Minneapolis. Not only will Vinai be a food haven, it will celebrate his parents’ legacy and tell his family’s story through food. Yia is the host of TPT’s “Relish” series and has been featured on CNN’s “United Shades of America” and National Geographic. Among other accolades, Yia was the cover story of the May 2020 issue of Bon Appetit, was named MSP Magazine’s chef of the year for 2019 and was recently voted best chef of 2020 in City Pages’ best-of issue.