Chef Yia Vang believes in a simple concept when it comes to food: every dish has a narrative. Over the past several years, he has taken that concept beyond his own kitchen to TV shows, podcasts, public speaking appearances and magazine cover stories. That simple philosophy, however, remains the anchor for his restaurants, including his newest one, Vinai.

“Everyone connects on food,” says Yia. “If you follow that narrative long enough and close enough, you get to the people behind the food. Once you’re there, it’s no longer about food — it’s about people.”

Yia opened Vinai in Northeast Minneapolis in August 2024, and it has quickly become one of the most talked-about restaurants in both the Twin Cities and the nation. It was one of three restaurants named as the Minnesota Star Tribune’s 2024 Restaurants of the Year. The New York Times recently named it to its America’s Best Restaurants list for 2024. Both Eater and Esquire gave it a spot on their Best New Restaurants of the year lists. Esquire also named Yia its Chef of the Year.

But as many chefs and restauranteurs know, it takes many partnerships, beyond great food, to make a restaurant stand out. On the financial side, Yia connected with Sunrise Banks to help him secure the financing needed to open what he calls his “love letter to my mom and dad.”

Stories Behind the Food

As a child, Yia says he never thought of being a chef or restaurant owner as a career. Growing up with six other siblings, he and his family viewed cooking as a method of survival. His parents met at the Ban Vinai Refugee Camp in Thailand after fleeing Laos at the end of the Vietnam War. The whole family moved to the U.S. in the late 1980s. Yia’s parents worked opposite shifts, so the kids were often responsible for getting dinner on the table.

“Being a cook is a lowly position in Hmong culture,” he says. “It’s like the help, so no one ever strived to be a cook.”

Yia worked several restaurant jobs throughout high school and college, thinking that he would do that “until I got a regular job.” After college, he started thinking more about his own why and if the culinary industry was still where he wanted to work.

By the time he was in his twenties and early thirties, Yia started thinking about food differently – why certain foods were popular in certain countries and cultures, how they were prepared and the ingredients used to prepare them. Thinking about the food from his own childhood, he began to realize how much his own parents had been through by the time they were his age.

“My dad fought a war, he came to the refugee camp, met my mom, they had us, got married, raised us and came to America,” Yia says. “Pretty soon, I found out my why – how do I amplify my parents’ story and sacrifice through food? That’s where the concept for Vinai started.”

A Place of Restoration

Yia says people often ask him why he would name his restaurant after a place that holds so much suffering for many people.

“My father firmly believed, and taught his children to believe, that words don’t define people. People can define words,” he says. “So Vinai, the restaurant, is not a place of suffering, pain and hurt. Vinai, the restaurant, is a place of restoration.”

Yia breaks the menu down into sections, as if you were having dinner at his parents’ house. Diners can start with Khoom Noj, or “snacks,” then move onto choices including Yog Peb Xwb (“It’s just us” or shareables), Nqaij Ci (grilled meats), Nqaij Hau (braised meats), Zaub (vegetables), Mov (rice dishes) and a choice of Kua Txob (hot sauces).

“Every time you come into our restaurant, you can go down many different pathways and have many different adventures,” Yia says.

“Just Give Me a Chance”

Yia developed the concept for Vinai through pop-ups, private events, and his Union Hmong Kitchen restaurant. He also had to figure out how he wanted to finance the restaurant. Ultimately, he decided to do a 50-50 split between investors and banks.

“I wanted to work with a bank where I wasn’t just a number or a case file,” Yia says. “It was important that the bank believed in the community wherever we set up our community. And we wanted them to see our mission, vision, values and goals.”

After meeting with a handful of other banks, Yia connected with John Dooley, vice president and business development manager at Sunrise Banks (pictured left with Yia).

“Yia came to us with one of the most thought-out and detailed business plans I have seen as a lender,” John says. “It was very apparent from the onset that he had this dream, and he was so good at sharing the vision that you couldn't not be excited to want to work with him.”

John says it took some extra time for Yia to find both the right partners and the right location. “Once he found those, we had already worked through what the bank and SBA would need to make the process as smooth as we could,” he says.

“My plea with an organization like Sunrise Banks, which invests in the community, is this – just give me a chance,” Yia says. “I won’t give up. I’m not asking for center stage. If you give me a piece, I will show you what we’re made of. I’ll show you the man I can be because of the way of my father.”

A Supportive Partner

Dooley worked with Yia to secure an SBA 7(a) business loan and an SBA Line of Credit to operate Vinai. Yia says he appreciates being able to count on Dooley to understand the technical terms in banking.

“When it comes to banking, financing, APR percentage, fed rates – I don’t know that. My advice is to find a partner who does,” he says.

“Being a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) and a preferred SBA lender shows that Sunrise Banks understands small business and we are willing to work with borrowers at every stage in every industry,” says John. “Often, in times of financial uncertainty, many lenders shy away from working with start-ups, especially those in hospitality. Because we don't shy away from these clients, we have the honor of working with borrowers like Yia.”

Carrying Out Mom and Dad’s Legacy

Now that Yia is nearing the six-month mark with Vinai, he and his team are well into their rhythm. Reservations are booked out for several weeks. And the positive reviews from both critics and diners keep on piling up.

Even as the restaurant gathers more accolades, Yia says he will always stay true to how Vinai came to be.

“Our goal at Vinai is reflecting the legacy of Mom and Dad,” he says. “And that is restoration. What they’ve done for us as a family is help restore our souls.”

Learn more about our small business financing options at www.sunrisebanks.com/sba.

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Amanda Theisen is the communications manager at Sunrise Banks.