Yia Vang

One of seven siblings, Chef Yia Vang was born in a Thai refugee camp where he lived until his family resettled in central Wisconsin. A trained chef who started his career working as a dishwasher, Yia uses food to tell a story and believes that every dish has a narrative. With his restaurants, Union Hmong Kitchen and Vinai, Yia shares not only the tastes and traditions of his Hmong heritage but of his family as well.