Candles were just one of the many finishing touches needed at Vinai before it could open to the public next week. Specifically, "bougie candles," as Yia Vang calls them: the battery-operated, flameless kind that could be set on a timer for instant ambience with the least fuss. Vang, the chef and owner of this long-awaited Minneapolis restaurant, thought buying them would be a breeze.
But walking into Restoration Hardware in Edina, he realized he was out of his element. "The place looks like a mansion," Vang said. "You know you don't belong somewhere when the sales lady looks up at you and looks down like, 'You guys can find your way out of here.
' " Vang has found himself in home décor and furniture stores a lot more than he would like. It comes with the territory of finally opening his dream restaurant, which has been in the works since Vang launched a Kickstarter in February 2020 that raised almost $100,000. He went shopping for baskets for hand towels at Ikea.
He finally found the "bougie candles" at Pottery Barn, thanks to an especially helpful salesperson named Judy who made up for the cold reception he got at the first store. He's glad to be done with that part, for now. "Put me in any kitchen situation in the middle of nowhere, like woods, jungle, and I can do it no problem.
Walk me through Ikea? I was having a panic attack. This is the stuff where I have no idea what I'm doing. This —," he gestured toward the open kitchen, with a state-of-the-art woodfire grill so .