Chef Yia Vang, who raised nearly $100,000 earlier this year with a Kickstarter for his new restaurant, finally has a home for that venture.
His first ever bricks-and-mortar restaurant, Vinai, will be located at 1717 2nd St. N.E. in the Bottineau neighborhood of Minneapolis. The standalone building was built in 1933 and originally housed Fleischmann’s Malting. The interior is 3,100 square feet, and there’s a large backyard area that will house a patio.
Vinai, named after the refugee camp in Thailand where Vang was born, will serve his signature Hmong dishes, many of which are cooked over a wood fire. Vang also snagged chef Marshall Paulsen, who for many years headed the kitchen at Birchwood Cafe, to help with operations, in particular the sourcing of local ingredients and the creation of a progressive and equitable staffing structure.
“These principles have always been important to us, but now we can give them life,” Vang said in a news release. “Marshall and I met a few years back and have had the chance to collaborate on some great things — we did a fundraiser for Urban Roots together, and we’ve been good friends ever since. We geek out on a lot of the same stuff, so collaborating is a blast. I’m so excited to work with him as we create this place I’ve dreamed of for so long: a true home that will honor the past, present, and future of Hmong cooking.”
Vinai will be designed by Christian Dean Architecture, which created the look behind Upton 43, Kado No Mise, Headflyer Brewing and more. The restaurant will seat between 40 and 60 people inside and more on the patio.
The team expects a spring 2021 opening.
