James Beard Nominated Hmong Chef Talks New Season of Popular TV Series

Multi-nominated James Beard chef and EATER’s “Chef of the Year,” Yia Vang has had one of the busiest years to date with his many projects including season 1 of his hit Outdoors Channel series “Feral,” competing as a challenger on Netflix’s “Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend,” and hosting Food Network’s “Stoked,” to name a few. Yia has most recently began releasing new episodes of his popular podcast series “Hmonglish” which focuses on the Hmong people, their culture, representation and Asian excellence overall. Now amping up for season 2 of his hit series Feral (mid-September premiere date), we would love to arrange an interview with you and this one-of-a-kind Minnesota based chef to discuss his busy 2023, all of his current projects, as well as his career overall as THE leading Hmong chef in the US.

There are thousands of invasive and feral animal species around the world – and surprisingly, many of them are delicious. From pythons, iguanas to wild pigs, common carp to lionfish, adventure-loving, culinary arts explorer Yia Vang is ready to chase, harvest, cook and eat all the crazy creatures that have overstayed their welcome. Please use the following link to see clips/previews from season one. https://www.outdoorchannel.com/show/feral/465067

Described as a series exploring the intersection of Hmong and American culture, Chef Yia Vang invites guests to join him weekly for conversations near and dear to them including Hmong and American culture, news affecting the AAPI community in general and of course food! Recent guests Yia has had on his hit podcast series include Sheng Elizabeth Lor (The Social X Change Project), Judge Sophia Vuelo, and Tou Lo (Marine Veteran and Entrepreneur) to name a few, with more guest planned throughout the season.

Yia is currently the owner/chef of the James Beard-nominated restaurant Union Hmong Kitchen located in Graze Food Hall in North Loop Minneapolis specializing in Hmong cuisine. The stateless, nomadic community’s history reveals itself in its spicy, smoky, mouth-walloping cuisine, marrying influences from Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Southern China. Union Hmong Kitchen started out years ago as a pop-up in his friend’s backyard where he was charging $5/plate. Its popularity led him to buy a trailer to sell his food and eventually a location at North Loop’s food hall. Though Minnesota is home to the largest diaspora of Hmong people living outside Asia, no brick-and-mortar restaurant has been exclusively dedicated to Hmong cuisine until Yia and his business partner, Dave Friedman, launched a Kickstarter campaign for Vinai, the Twin Cities’ first brick-and-mortar restaurant devoted to “the past, present, and future of Hmong cooking.” Vinai is named after one of the largest refugee camps in Thailand where Yia was born and where 90% of Hmong people ended up prior to moving to the Midwest after the Vietnam War. The ingredients will be sourced from Minnesota’s Hmong farmers and the restaurant will be filled with plants – a nod to Mama Vang’s green thumb. In the backyard will be a communal wood-fired grill – a fancier version of what Yia remembers tending alongside his dad at big family gatherings. His vision for Vinai is to create a home for his Hmong food that celebrates his parents’ legacy and tells his family story through food. The restaurant is slated to open in 2023 in Northern Minneapolis.