Yia Vang
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Yia Vang (born 1984)[1] is a Hmong-American chef in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Early life and education[edit]
Vang was born in Ban Vinai refugee camp in Thailand after his family had fled Laos at the end of the Vietnamese War after the fall of Saigon.[2][3] His father, Nhia Lor Vang, and mother, Pang Her, both widowed during the crossing of the Mekong, met at the camp in 1977 and married in 1978.[4][1] Vang was born in 1984.[1]
In 1988, when he was four, his family immigrated to the United States, first to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and then in 1997 to Port Edwards, Wisconsin; while growing up he learning butchering when his family would buy whole animals.[3][1][5][6] He graduated in 2010 from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse with a degree in communications.[3][7]
Career[edit]
Vang moved to the Minneapolis area and worked at Gavin Kaysen’s Spoon and Stable and other restaurants, first as a dishwasher and then as a cook.[3][4] He noticed that while the Twin Cities area has the largest Hmong population outside of Asia, it didn't have a restaurant dedicated to Hmong cuisine.[3][4]
In June of 2022 he appeared on Iron Chef[3] and in November of 2022 he started hosting Feral, a show that explores the culinary use of invasive species such as wild boar, on the Outdoor Channel.[8][9][10][11] He also started a podcast called Hmonglish with journalist Gia Vang about Hmong culture in America and another called White on Rice.[12][13] He has also served as the host for the TPT series Relish.[14]
Union Hmong Kitchen[edit]
Beginning in 2016, Vang opened an estimated 100 popups that he called Union Hmong Kitchen with menus including his father's Hmong sausage recipe and his mother's hot sauce recipe.[2][3] He initially tried to cater to midwestern tastes but eventually decided it was disrespectful to Hmong food and decided to focus on traditional Hmong flavors and techniques.[3][15] In 2019 he was named MSP Magazine's Chef of the Year.[16]
Vang's first permanent brick-and-mortar space is Union Hmong Kitchen. The restaurant is located in Graze Provisions and Libations, a food hall in Minneapolis' North Loop neighborhood, which opened in October of 2021[17].[18][3] In 2022, Union Hmong Kitchen was the first Hmong food served at the Minnesota State Fair.[5][19]
Vang also ran a series of pop ups in a space on Lake Street in Minneapolis through 2023 before reopening the space as the second location of Union Hmong Kitchen.[20]
Vinai[edit]
In 2020, Vang started a crowdfunding campaign to fund the opening of Vinai, a new higher-end restaurant.[3] The COVID-19 pandemic slowed the development.[3]
As of 2022 Vang was still developing Vinai, named after the refugee camp in which he was born, which Esquire called one of the first dedicated Hmong restaurants in the United States.[3][21] In 2023, he announced Vinai should open in the spring of 2024 in Northeast, Minneapolis, in the space previously occupied by Dangerous Man Brewing Company.[22]
Recognition[edit]
In 2023 he was a James Beard Award semifinalist; in 2022 he was a James Beard Award finalist and Union Hmong Kitchen was a semifinalist.[3][23][5] Francis Lam in 2021 called Vang "one of America's leading voices in Hmong cooking".[1]
Personal life[edit]
In 2021 Vang became a United States citizen.[3][24]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e "Light Up Your Grill". www.splendidtable.org. Retrieved 2023-01-22.
- ^ a b Ross, Theodore (2022-04-25). "In Pursuit of Chicken Rice". Guernica. Retrieved 2023-01-22.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Nelson, Kate (2022-06-09). "The Chef Who is Telling the Story of the Hmong People, One Dish at a Time". Esquire. Retrieved 2023-01-22.
- ^ a b c Halpern, Ashlea (2020-04-22). "Yia Vang Made Some of the Best Food We Ate All Year. So Why Is He So Afraid of Failing?". Bon Appétit. Retrieved 2023-01-22.
- ^ a b c Uhlig, Keith. "Central Wisconsin native Yia Vang's trendy Union Hmong Kitchen lives up to all the hype". Daily Tribune. Retrieved 2023-01-22.
- ^ Garland, John (2018-03-23). "The Very Visible Yia Vang". Growler Magazine. Retrieved 2023-01-22.
- ^ "From dishwasher to 'Iron Chef'". All In Wisconsin. 2022-07-21. Retrieved 2023-01-22.
- ^ "From Yia Vang to Ann Kim, Twin Cities chefs shine on national TV". Twin Cities. 2022-11-03. Retrieved 2023-01-22.
- ^ Claeson, Hanna (2022-10-31). "Yia Vang Takes Us Back To His Hmong Roots With Feral". Mashed. Retrieved 2023-01-22.
- ^ Jackson, Sharyn (25 November 2022). "Chef Yia Vang takes on television hosting — and snakes — in his latest adventure". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-01-22.
- ^ Union Hmong Kitchen chef debuts new show, "Feral", retrieved 2023-01-22
- ^ "White On Rice Is One of Minnesota's Best Podcasts". Minnevangelist.
- ^ "Gia Vang and Yia Vang on 'Hmonglish,' Iron Chef and leaving KARE 11". MPR News. 2022-06-15. Retrieved 2023-11-21.
- ^ "Relish Season 1". TPT Originals. Retrieved 2023-11-21.
- ^ "Chef says people who ask for vegan version of his dishes have 'food privilege' | indy100". www.indy100.com. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
- ^ "Chef Yia Vang". www.craftinamerica.org. Retrieved 2023-01-22.
- ^ "Union Hmong Kitchen to open in North Loop food hall". Pioneer Press.
- ^ "Union Hmong Kitchen". Graze North Loop.
- ^ Mohs, Marielle. "How Union Hmong Kitchen is prepping for the Minnesota State Fair". CBS News.
- ^ Longworth, Nick (2023-07-18). "Union Hmong Kitchen opens Lake Street location, Chef Yia Vang continues vision expansion". FOX 9. Retrieved 2023-11-21.
- ^ Kelly, Brianna (20 December 2022). "Chef Yia Vang's Union Hmong Kitchen to launch noodle pop-up in Lyn-Lake". bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2023-01-22.
- ^ "Chef Yia Vang announces new restaurant Vinai will open next spring in Minneapolis". MPR News. 2023-09-11. Retrieved 2023-11-21.
- ^ "Why BIPOC Chefs Are Rolling Their Eyes When You Demand Substitutions". HuffPost. 2022-05-09. Retrieved 2023-01-22.
- ^ Jones, Justine (2021-10-20). "Chef Yia Vang on the Meaning and Price of Citizenship". Mpls.St.Paul Magazine. Retrieved 2023-01-22.