Purple Sticky Rice & Chicken Laab

Chef Blong Vang graduated with his A.A.S. in Culinary Arts from Saint Paul College in 2016. While in school, he began working in the culinary industry including restaurants such as Meritage, Blackdog Café, Union Kitchen and Carmelo’s Ristorante.

After years in the industry, Blong was burnt out and wanted to do more than just cook in a restaurant night after night, so he began teaching at Way-Cool Cooking School in Eden Prairie. With the knowledge he learned there, Blong decided to work for a nonprofit called Youth Farm. Learning the skills from planting seeds, growing your own food, and cooking cultivated his passion for Food Justice.

Blong teaches culinary skills and the importance of knowing the source of your food to youth in the cities; by working alongside local farmers and businesses in MN. By passing along his knowledge, he hopes to bring the younger generations farther than he can reach and to use their gifts for something positive.

“Food is medicine”