Yia Vang Says Hmong Food Is His Family's Legacy
The Sporkful17 Kesä 2024

Yia Vang Says Hmong Food Is His Family's Legacy

For years, chef Yia Vang operated his restaurant Union Hmong Kitchen in a trailer outside of a brewery in Minneapolis. Last year, he finally opened his first brick-and-mortar restaurant, and it already feels like a neighborhood institution — especially in the region of the U.S. with the largest community of Hmong refugees from southeast Asia. Over a meal of whole grilled branzino, Hmong sausage, purple sticky rice, and a lot more, Yia tells Dan about his mission to tell his parents’ story — and the story of the Hmong people — through his cooking. Yia also talks about his own journey: he was born in a Thai refugee camp, moved with his family to Amish country, and then worked as a church “lunch lady” before breaking out on his own. Now he’s fighting tooth and nail to open a new restaurant that will fully celebrate Hmong food the way he envisions.

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell. Publishing by Shantel Holder and transcription by Emily Nguyen.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jaksot(283)

A Forager's Life In Virginia

A Forager's Life In Virginia

Foraged ingredients have become all the rage in high end restaurants, part of the move toward hyperlocal, farm-to-table ingredients. Of course, we humans have been foraging pretty much forever. And th...

21 Elo 202327min

Searching For The Pickle King

Searching For The Pickle King

While the villages to the east and west have charming Main Streets, the small town of Greenlawn, sandwiched in between, has pickles. Dan stops by the annual Pickle Festival before diving into the stor...

14 Elo 202327min

Instant Pot’s Bankruptcy And Thai Cheese “Burgers”

Instant Pot’s Bankruptcy And Thai Cheese “Burgers”

Today we tackle news in the world of food that’s at turns substantive, silly, and surprising in a new series we’re calling Salad Spinner! Take a spin with us as Dan chats with journalists Amanda Mull ...

7 Elo 202334min

Tommy Pico’s Food History Wasn’t Lost. It Was Stolen.

Tommy Pico’s Food History Wasn’t Lost. It Was Stolen.

A few years ago, Tommy Pico, a queer indigenous American poet, and lover of junk food, set out to learn how to cook. He wanted to get healthier, but also, he wanted a food culture to replace the one t...

31 Heinä 202337min

Why Barbie’s First Dreamhouse Didn’t Have A Kitchen

Why Barbie’s First Dreamhouse Didn’t Have A Kitchen

When the first Barbie Dreamhouse came out in 1962, it didn’t have a kitchen. Fast forward to today and there are a dozen chef Barbies. What does that say about Barbie, and about American food culture?...

21 Heinä 202331min

Why Ice Is This Summer's Hottest Trend

Why Ice Is This Summer's Hottest Trend

Once known for its glacial pace, ice news today is breaking. In the wake of Starbucks’ recent announcement that they’re changing their ice, we’re devoting an entire episode to the drink chiller in all...

17 Heinä 202334min

2 Chefs And A Lie: Name That Mustard Edition

2 Chefs And A Lie: Name That Mustard Edition

It’s time for our annual game show, 2 Chefs And A Lie! The game is simple. Dan talks with three “chefs.” Two are real, and one is an actor with a made-up resume. He’s gotten no info on these people in...

10 Heinä 202331min

The Enslaved Chefs At Monticello Who Created American Cuisine

The Enslaved Chefs At Monticello Who Created American Cuisine

This week in honor of July 4th, we’re exploring an important part of American history – the contributions of enslaved Black chefs, whose work influences American cuisine to this day. In 1784, Thomas J...

3 Heinä 202331min

Suosittua kategoriassa Vapaa-aika

nikotellen
antin-matka
sita
the-harlin-show
ihan-oikeesti
unicast
everypodi
eturivi
rss-nikotellen
tahtitehdas
rss-naapurissa
rss-viihde-media
mutsiputki
mysteeripodcast
terkuin-jenna
oral-sex
himocast
kaikkea-hyvaa
moottoripodi-2
teen-spirit