How Chef Yia Vang Honors Hmong Cooking With Open Fire Feasts - Smoke Point

Chef Yia Vang of Vinai in Minneapolis tells the story of his culture and the Hmong people through open fire cooking and feasts.
Credits:
Producer: Connor Reid
Director: Connor Reid, Ryan Brennan
Camera: Ryan Brennan, Damian Kussian
Editor: Connor Reid
Executive Producer: Stephen Pelletteri
Development Producer: McGraw Wolfman
Coordinating Producer: Stefania Orrù
Audience Engagement: Daniel Geneen, Terri Ciccone
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For more episodes of 'Smoke Point,' click here: trib.al/7RT0ivV
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[@Ioutube556]

“If you say this is mine, you have less. If you say this is ours, you have more.” Nothing like a fathers wisdom

[@kevinijelekhai3339]

Disagree - owning something doesn't mean you have less. You have something.

[@Ioutube556]

@@kevinijelekhai3339 wholeheartedly appreciate your perspective and I agree. However I think you should consider the context of the comment, and the overall thrust of the video.

[@tyangetc542]

@@kevinijelekhai3339 I understand your point but, It is more of the context of love associated with the words and the power it has. Saying something is “mines” is geared more towards being selfish love because everyone was poor at the time but saying this is “ours” speaks volumes on your character and love for each other, especially during such a tough time.

[@kevinijelekhai3339]

@@tyangetc542 I understand you but I still disagree. Love at its core is sacrifice (Agape the ultimate form of love given to us by the Greeks). How can I sacrifice something that I don’t have? Love is sacrifice. For example, it would be a loving act if I gave you my kidney if you were sick. The existence of ownership doesn’t make the act any less loving. The existence of the sacrifice makes it loving. So, with respect I disagree

[@donutdouglas67]

@@kevinijelekhai3339 Right, you have to bomb it!

[@thoughtfulstargazer]

Only thing missing is 5-6 guys standing around with beers.

[@doccholo905]

Lmao. Let's down a beer for this comment

[@raymondthao1134]

Yog you right lmao

[@syihabfarhan]

haram haram stay halal dude hahaha

[@skyleringer9767]

They were probably just standing off screen. Lol

[@HangryD4D]

TRUE

[@tylervue306]

As a Hmong person, it makes me extremely happy that people even know who we are.

[@pokerstar2004]

Living in Minneapolis / St Paul the Hmong community is wonderful. The Hmong marketplace is amazing.

[@ryanlefurge2404]

I’m from Fresno, CA and there’s also a huge Hmong population out here. Grew up alongside y’all.

[@503zzach]

HMONG = Mountain tribe, short Chinese looking people who have no country. LOL

[@bleed7378]

@@503zzach WHITE WORSHIPPING LUS OUT

[@503zzach]

You can go back to a mountain side hill or deep in the jungle where's your short little munchkin HMONG ancestor are from. ;) LOL

[@touvang9923]

So proud of brother Yia for taking our food, culture, and philosophy to mainstream America!!

[@damiandmb2092]

We don't eat any of this in the "homeland" stop lying. We take other cultures and just change it to make it "ours"......

[@sunnydayyss7171]

@@damiandmb2092 I'm guessing you're Hmong too but ain't no one lying around here. Like you seriously have to be so negative? If you don't have anything nice to say, other than putting down our people and calling us liars, get out of here. This isn't the only comment you made of the same thing.

[@CrayZJo3Davola]

This is not cultural Hmong food. This is just recipe from chef yia's book. Traditional Hmong food are just boiled vegetables, boiled green leaf with pork, stir fry slice of pork with lemon grass and ginger, beef stew with blood and beef insides. Another one is beef raw with poop 😂

[@Xentradi97]

@@sunnydayyss7171 well the title is quite missleading if so, don't you think? Maybe it should've said, Hmong American chef take on American BBQ or something.

[@sunnydayyss7171]

@@Xentradi97 Thank you for your opinion, therefore imo it is not a misleading title.

[@PeanutButterAndJellyBros]

Betcha his restaurant soon-to-be opened is gonna be jammed packed. He's truly the only Hmong chef that is really out there with his character and personality. He's gonna draw a lot of community attention when his restaurant is in business.

[@TeraraNetwork]

“ When you say this is mine, you have less. but when you say this is ours, you have more.” Only this will save the world.

[@sleekytips8162]

That's how communist works

[@carpy1252]

Yeah lets see how well that works when the bigger people with bigger appetites eat more than the little people and they all had to pay the same price for the meal.

[@maxxyang3723]

@@carpy1252 sometimes the little people just dont care

[@SlickyJeffy23]

This guy has so much wisdom, doesn’t feel like he’s cooking but more like teaching

[@westlee1626]

That’s what we call slowly turnin into an OG

[@goodcompanycoffee]

Clicked for the food, but what made the video was chef's attitude! Very refreshing to learn about Hmong people and culture.

[@rayfordhickman3087]

I had Hmong neighbors when I lived in North Minneapolis. What he's saying about togetherness is how they are. Thanks to Pao Vang and his family.

[@nitto24]

Unfortunately, that "our" philosophy is fading away aHmongs the new generations. Money and greed changes people.

[@arunavaacharya9463]

Props to the Eater team for finding such human voices that tell you about cooking but with humanity.

[@p90p90]

We made it boys! Chef Yia is amazing. I must try his food one day.

[@thomaslandcaster9638]

He made it not you, don't group yourself as the same.

[@p90p90]

@@thomaslandcaster9638 took the comment wayyyyy to literally but okay.

[@stormhost5324]

@@thomaslandcaster9638 The reason he says we made it is because chef Yia is a Vang and His KZbin name is a Vang so that make them like a clan brother. So what he is saying the whole Clan of Vang

[@mmageek]

10:00 I lived in Fresno for six months of high school, had a few Hmong friends with very similar stories. I will always treasure that time.

[@mlgjudgejudy6723]

Yea Fresno has a lot of hmong people as well as alot of Armenians idk why but its cool

[@mmageek]

@@mlgjudgejudy6723 Farming, mostly Hmong people live in Iowa, Minnesota and previously mentioned Fresno. I don’t know if that has changed over the years. I can’t explain the migration patterns of Armenians (Noho, Glendale, Fresno, etc).

[@westlee1626]

@@mmageek mainly these states, California, Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Michigan, now in Oklahoma the population is growin too

[@jasonsong6747]

Love this guy's mentality - here's the situation, now what do we do about it? How do we move forward? I feel like this philosophy is present in his foods and you can tell its delicious because you know he's the type to keep on improving the recipe/taste.

[@b-choi7521]

"I love being Hmong because our people have never had the most ideal conditions. But I'm not trying to be a martyr, I'm not trying to be a victim about it. But it's like, ok like, think through it, what's the next thing you have to do." Thank you, its refreshing to see people thinking this way nowadays

[@bnyang84]

The Hmong brother putting on for the culture. Respect. Thank you Eater.

[@ronnys.nielsen5118]

I Iove his mentality same with my Samoan Culture it doesn’t matter how many are in there it’s for everybody 🤙🏾

[@krnpowr]

Most non-Westerns are communal. The first thing they think about is splitting things equally with others in the group. Westerners only think about themselves.

[@kouleeofficial]

Chef Yia changing the game! I went to a few of his pop up restaurants in Minnesota and had the chance to have a conversation with him. Awesome guy!

[@SlapMyGorillaGorilla]

Chuck Norris, MacGyver, and Jean Claude Van Damm.... Something tells me this is a universal Asian thing lmao Because that’s the trio i watched

[@recoil53]

No, but in an '80s-'90s window they would have been action shows. This century the Thais and Indonesians (this decade) have better action.

[@indroputranto1850]

I'm Indonesian and yes, they are like my childhood heroes lol

[@bigkou_916]

It was more Clint Eastwood, Chuck Norris, and Charles Bronson. Those where the heroes to the elders. McGuiver, A-Team and Michael Knight were more our generation. I'm 42 by the way. Lol

[@willienillie6337]

Damn, how can you leave out Bruce Lee.....

[@bigkou_916]

@@willienillie6337 they were so use to war, anything having to do with it. We didn't start to watch Kung Fu movies until later, becuz we didn't have access to the videos then

[@ItsKarenReyes]

Beautiful episode. I love the stories of people's heritage infused in their cooking.

[@jenht3260]

"When you say this is mine, you have less. But when you say this is ours, you have more." DAMN. Such a great lesson

[@corynn.l5146]

@@GamerGuy1985 honestly, a socialist lifestyle is only good when it's not involving government control

[@cjuare123]

I grew up around Hmong people. They are some of the nicest people i ever mer.

[@bousemaster3989]

I grew up with them too, they kept bringing me fruits

[@batchagaloopytv5816]

i grew up among the Hmong people,very kind

[@chaiyaxiong9920]

For the most part yes….

[@turbojefe3432]

This guy is awesome. The way he talks about and the use of the ingredients. I had to watch this multiple times. Keep up the great work.

[@michaelkaszynski7658]

I like that he's teaching some white guy named Kenny how to make Hmong food. Sharing your culture with others is one of the most rewarding things you can do.

[@ChaiNinja]

Much love to you brother. I love your dads advice! Good to see your community being recognized and it is thanks to you and what you are doing.

[@ToddAndelin]

This chef is so amazing and your crew captured it all so well. Wow. Amazing!

[@otnielsabajo9537]

Chef Yia lots of respect for the way you talk about your culture and the food you making and bringing it together..

[@fleggy123]

Proud, positive ambassador for his people. What a great dude, I learned so much from this.

[@jm5642]

This is the best episode I have seen so far. Great wisdom by this young chef guided well by his elders.

[@mintbot4657]

I never once thought I'd see the Hmong Community featured in such big KZbin channel.

[@haymarketpantry8056]

This was so much fun! It's awesome cooking with everyone at Vinai. They're the best 🙏🏻

[@TouVang1]

This is awesome brother. I was born in Vinai. Although we moved to the US when I was just 2, I definitely know what our parents went through. Thanks for making this vid. It does bring back memories.

[@johnconnor2402]

Man, you can feel the dedication and passion in the chefs voice. This guy is a great speaker, super likeable

[@kryptoniterxn117]

The passion and wisdom combined with his illustration of a lifestyle was beautifully executed here. All he needed was some wood and basic cinder blocks.

[@nicholaswilson9882]

amazing personality on this man, would love to see more of him

[@LuisGGomezPhoto]

I love the philosophy of Chef Yia, what a human, and a cook. thanks!!!

[@keganwallace8753]

That's the definition of a legendary cookout! So impressive and everything looks so delicious.

[@yolandaowens4748]

I love this chef I try to catch him anytime he has anything up on KZbin 🙌🏾❣️💯

[@jonathanwoodham4165]

May you be blessed beyond measure Young Man...you are well studied in the traditions of your cultural nationality and express to the rest of us a learned wisdom...making it ours!

[@ryan49805]

Man that looks good. I love that this dudes fam got to America and is sharing his culture. We could all use some more of this attitude about life.

[@lucasj893]

My grandma (rest her soul) loved McGyver too! All we ever watched on TV in the early 90s. Love the storytelling in these segments, thanks Munchies!

[@mathewjacob3075]

One of the best episodes ever the last bit just made me cry

[@Caleyfan86]

Love this guy, such a good dude. That’s a lot of work to set up right there. 💪🏽

[@itawambamingo]

I love Chef Vang's unbridled passion!

[@gillsmoke]

"When you say this is mine you have less. When you say this is ours we have more." I needed that today, thank you.

[@shualy8058]

Awesome job brother! Keep it up. Glad to see Eater document your delicious Hmong food.

[@neilbiswas6191]

Glad to see a Hmong chef being highlighted. Chef via is very skilled and has a great attitude

[@danielburgess7785]

Mr. Vang is worth listening to. Thank you for sharing.

[@reeze1895]

I live in Sacramento plenty of Hmong out here very cultural people awesome people I love their food as well

[@bleed7378]

I could've sworn this guy got written up in a Bon Appetit article on Hmong cuisine in the US. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Hmong cooking is nevertheless on the rise, and it's wonderful to see.

[@williammartin9612]

yeah you right, his issue was a couple months ago i think

[@bleed7378]

@@williammartin9612 It had to have been over a year ago. I remember the issue contained a recipe for a rice dish of some sort (was it purple in color?). Perhaps they've done two spotlights on Hmong chefs, both of whom were men that did open air cooking?

[@ianzuppan6503]

So much love for this! That’s what it’s all about, no timer, no thermometer. Effort and that family love. 🙏✊ (I gotta get to this spot! + that wood splitter is great - hammer with a 4lb head will turn that effort into a tap & not a couple whacks) Best part “YEAAAAH NICE!” 🙌

[@shakazulu576]

For only watching a 11sum min video on KZbin u get the sense of this guys culture thru the way he prepares as well as cooks his meals. Crazy thru food we can experience any culture. Because as human beings food is something we can all relate too.

[@Hope-u-have-a-great-day]

I watched your entire video this is super reminds me of some Mexican get together so we haven’t had an a while but you’ve inspired me to organize some thing and incorporate some of your tricks

[@the_truck_farmer]

Well spoken and presented Yia. Much love from La Crosse!

[@TomSaysHi]

Awesome! I enjoyed watching every bit of it. Keep it up Yia!

[@psychoness999]

Bro this chef is such a refreshing dude. I could easily drink 2-25 beers with him and just talk shop about culture food amything. What a joy

[@martinbakunawa1240]

My happy place too Chef!! Great video, straight, honest and good faith. My kind of way of life! Thank you for this inspiring video!! Props to all of you

[@boxingboy1043]

Finally, we get some recognition to the world. Good job brother 👍

[@HangryD4D]

It's true. The Hmong elderly loves Chuck Norris.

[@nitto24]

That's until Chuck fought Bruce. Lol many thought it was real...

[@DestroBB]

I dated a Hmong woman for a while. She was very proud of her culture, I loved hearing about it. This brings back find memories.

[@brianyim5191]

Beautiful episode.

[@katout75]

What an amazing feast, really love the master chefs love and passion toward cooking and his peoples heritage

[@WagonBurner1868]

as a Navajo, our cultures have very similiar views on life, love and happiness

[@Go4Broke247]

Well, The Chinese did call the Hmong(Miao) people, Barbarians and Savages, but they were the aboriginal people in Southern China, before getting annexation and assimilation.

[@JohnDoe-gk6jp]

Glad to see Hmong culture in the spotlight!! As soon as I saw Hmong I clicked and hoped his food was in MPLS and glad I was right!

[@4shorefishing779]

Hmong people are family to me. Food looks amazing thanks for sharing!

[@GruneD]

Wow, it looks amazing!

[@ruslanaiman6196]

Only thing i knew about the Hmong was they were a main part in the movie “Gran Torino”. This is refreshing to hear from this video. Big respect 👍🏻

[@davejack8973]

NGL guys ... this is by far one of ur best episodes

[@crabmansteve6844]

Someone needs to get big bro a real maul. It'll save his back.

[@tony7713]

Needs to put that thing on a stand or something

[@funfunstuie]

Best smoke point video. Great attitude and philosophy.

[@oliverjamesspicer]

Fascinating and a great message at the end

[@ilovek20a2swatt]

These are the types and Styles of foods when we have Small Gatherings or during a Celebrations! Some of the Best NFL Football Foods here!

[@honeymir805]

I like this dude a lot. He’s got a great philosophy on food and life in general.

[@sharkloo7482]

Yooo watched this dude in iron chef! You did your best chef! Super proud of the Hmong cuisine

[@olddays8266]

Love the video. Reminds me of how my mom BBQ after a long day of traditional parties. She would gather the left over bones that weren't used for soup, sprinkle some salt and throw them onto her huge homemade open flame grill to smoke for hours with all the aunties gathered together to reminense about the old days.

[@bbbt8090]

So proud of this Dude!

[@tosh8377]

I’ve always said food is more that texture and flavour. Unbelievable video. Thanks

[@paulzeuz9326]

Wow the ending food presentation on the table looks really delicious and abundant!

[@jaketran3480]

Cool fact the Hmong people are one of the many cultural minority groups in Vietnam, so to watch a video about America mix with Hmong culture is really interesting.

[@moldveien1515]

America has the largest hmong populations outside Asia as far i am aware, but not so many People know them as they dont have a country "of their own" so to speak.

[@006haloman]

You should watch Best Ever Food Review Show, Sonny’s last 6 episodes are Black and White Hmong in Vietnam.

[@jaketran3480]

@@moldveien1515 But in Vietnam, they have their own village and culture because they are a smaller cultural group than mine's but there are other groups in Vietnam, some who has way less than the Hmong population.

[@kmlckd]

They're also in neighboring countries including Thailand and Laos. Different languages too

[@abcwarrior91]

@@moldveien1515 we do have a country its china stop we the Hmong have no country it embarrassing lol

[@tyruku18]

Finally I can see something special like this. Special to the Hmong People.

[@derekborba9574]

Keeping culture alive. I love it

[@gc5Hayward]

This is a physical spiritual feast! I wish I was there to connect, share and enjoy!

[@maurreese]

Wow this was incredible and he is so relatable!

[@r2dxhate]

I use to love going over to Hmong cookouts. They do it BIG.

[@HIBredAsian808]

Love your dad! That saying he has is what I've learned when I was younger. Aloha brother!🤙

[@MrAdorabao]

I've had his food on multiple occasions, never disappoints me. His passion for food and culture really shows in his food. That right there is what you call a true chief. Would love to see Chief Ramsey come try his food.

[@joshschneider9766]

The Hong tribes served as faithful allied fighters to us army special forces during the Vietnam war. As a college student I was privileged to live next to an sf association clubhouse. Among the heros I met were a couple of those fighters. Save the montagnard and hmong forever!

[@merrygreenjane135]

Really Amazing as a South African going to braai(barbecue)with this recipe 😍🙌

[@carsonsigrah4886]

Love this dude,learned a lot from one video,thanks for sharing 👍👍

[@MrJohnmoua26]

Keep blazing the trail!! Wishing nothing but success

[@fengyang7719]

👏 👏 👏 Awesome awesome just awesome. Good ups brother !! Food looks amazing and thanks for sharing with the world !

[@ddeaae]

I love the stories of your Mom! Outstanding BBQ we love your family style of togetherness made with love.

[@thordlotorthao]

Great to see my people on videos like this!

[@gepaolor9898]

Love this brother spirit of cooking... keep going....

[@eyang7]

Ayeeeee thanks for featuring our hmong peeps 😁

[@TT-zl6gs]

When passion and culture collides something beautiful gets created

[@mikegarcia2921]

This style is very unique! I’m following now!

[@robdobson5056]

Dude you are cooking my dream BBQ! Just awesome assortment of meats!

[@Joshuakartawinata]

Love his energy

[@Thakshilacooking]

I like this video is awesome how I understand people so talented

[@Skyy_415]

law of abundance at the end there...awesome video with a great story