From Farm Roots to National Fame: How Diane Moua and Diane’s Place Redefined American Dining

When Food & Wine announced its coveted 2025 Restaurant of the Year, the culinary world took notice. The honor didn’t go to a Michelin-starred spot in New York or a high-profile tasting menu in Los Angeles — it went to Diane’s Place, a soulful Hmong restaurant nestled in Northeast Minneapolis. “YES, the national restaurant of the year is a HMONG restaurant. Let that sink in,” said FOX 9 Morning News anchor Chenue Her, capturing the pride that rippled across Minnesota and Hmong communities nationwide.

For decades, Hmong cuisine was often misunderstood — dismissed by some as “weird,” “stinky,” or “not good.” Yet those very flavors, stories, and traditions now define one of the most celebrated restaurants in America. “Imagine when we were kids, the Hmong foods we grew up with that fed our souls, carried our stories for generations being described as ‘weird’… and today, a Hmong restaurant serving that very food is honored with this prestigious national accolade,” Her continued.

Winning Food & Wine’s Restaurant of the Year is no small feat. It’s not just about food — it’s about vision, creativity, cultural resonance, and the ability to shape the future of dining. The award is reserved for places that push boundaries while telling a story, that combine exceptional technique with authenticity, and that transform how we think about what food can be.

For Diane Moua, that meant taking the flavors of her childhood — dishes born in Hmong kitchens, rooted in refugee journeys and agricultural life — and reimagining them with modern technique and refined presentation. “Diane’s Place was named 2025 Restaurant of the Year because of Moua’s heart and soul,” wrote Food Editor Jason DeRusha. “She’s getting national love because of who she is, where she’s from, and how she has interpreted her Hmong culture and her upbringing on the family farm in a uniquely modern form”.

Judges consider everything from innovation and hospitality to storytelling and cultural impact. In each category, Diane’s Place excelled — offering a deeply personal dining experience that also reflects the broader narrative of immigrant America.

To understand Diane’s Place, you have to understand Diane Moua herself. Born to Hmong parents who immigrated to the U.S. as refugees, Moua grew up in rural Wisconsin surrounded by farmland, family meals, and a deep respect for the land. Her childhood was defined by the rhythms of the farm — planting, harvesting, cooking — and by the resilience of a family rebuilding their lives in a new country.

That upbringing laid the foundation for Moua’s culinary philosophy: food as memory, identity, and storytelling. After attending culinary school, she honed her skills in some of the Twin Cities’ most prestigious kitchens, including La Belle Vie and Spoon and Stable. Known for her exquisite pastry work, Moua quickly built a reputation as one of the Midwest’s most talented chefs — but she long dreamed of a restaurant that told her story.

Diane’s Place became that dream realized: a restaurant where flavors from her Hmong heritage could shine in a contemporary setting. Every dish is both a tribute to her family and a bold creative statement — familiar comfort foods elevated with refined technique and artistic presentation.

Walk through the doors of Diane’s Place and you’ll find a menu that’s both deeply rooted and refreshingly original. Moua’s cooking draws heavily from the Hmong food traditions she grew up with, but she layers them with modern culinary influences to create something entirely new.

A typical meal might begin with sticky rice served alongside charred eggplant and aromatic herbs, or sausage-stuffed cabbage rolls infused with ginger and lemongrass. Signature dishes include grilled pork collar with fish sauce caramel, braised chicken with lemongrass and fresh herbs, and whole fried fish with fermented chili sauce — dishes that speak to both ancestral memory and contemporary craft.

Moua’s pastry background also shines in desserts that honor Hmong flavors while appealing to refined palates. Think black sesame panna cotta with coconut cream, mango mochi with tamarind caramel, or sweet sticky rice paired with seasonal fruit sorbet. Each plate is as visually stunning as it is delicious, designed to celebrate heritage in a modern, accessible way.

The impact of Diane’s Place extends far beyond its menu. For Minnesota’s Hmong community — one of the largest in the U.S. — the restaurant’s success is a milestone moment. It’s validation not just for Hmong food, but for the stories, struggles, and triumphs that shaped it.

“When I first took my parents to Diane’s Place, my mom said, ‘Diane yog ib tug ntxhais muaj peev xwm heev.’ (Diane is a daughter with great skills and talent.),” Chenue Her shared. “Thank you, Chef Diane Moua, for your work, your storytelling, your heart, and your willingness to share your gifts with all of us”.

For Moua, the recognition is as much about representation as it is about accolades. “This is more than a restaurant,” she has said in interviews. “It’s a celebration of where we come from, and an invitation for others to experience it.”

With her groundbreaking achievement, Diane Moua joins a growing movement of chefs who are redefining what “American cuisine” means — proving that immigrant stories are not side notes but central to the country’s culinary identity. Diane’s Place is not just a restaurant; it’s a bridge between generations, a platform for cultural expression, and a beacon for future chefs who dream of seeing their heritage celebrated at the highest level.

The 2025 Food & Wine Restaurant of the Year award is a well-deserved honor — but for Moua and the community that surrounds her, it’s also a beginning. As diners continue to line up in Northeast Minneapolis for a taste of her soulful cooking, one thing is certain: Diane’s Place is not just serving meals. It’s serving history, pride, and the promise of a more inclusive culinary future.