While it's always been Chef Yia Vang's dream to open a brick and mortar restaurant in Minneapolis, his bigger mission has been to honor his parents, and to share his family's story. He's been able to do that through his series of pop-ups at Union Hmong Kitchen. His newest venture, Vinai, is slated to open in late 2020 or early 2021, and will celebrate his parents' pursuit of a better life for their children. We sat down with Chef Yia to talk about how he first introduced Hmong food to Minneapolis, and where he hopes to go from here.

Find Union Hmong Kitchen online at https://unionkitchenmn.com/ and @unionhmongkitchen on Instagram. The Open Belly podcast is hosted by Danielle Lehman and shares the stories of immigrant and refugee chefs and restauranteurs across America. You can find the Open Belly podcast online at openbellypodcast.com or on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter @openbelly. Thank you to ChowNow for supporting us this season. This episode was edited by Oliver J. Hughes, and photography was provided courtesy of @the_restaurant_project