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saved to be able to buy the Lao Market on
Nicollet. Ann later worked in the deli there. By middle school, she was planning 10-page menus with "a lot of curry." In response to her mother's urging her to get a formal education, she later earned a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies from San Diego State University and was preparing for a career in teaching. Even while in college, Ahmed ran a catering business out of her garage. When she was a week away from graduating, Ahmed's mother called her about a restaurant that was for sale in Brooklyn Park. After graduating, Ahmed started her first restaurant in that Brooklyn Park location. She bought the restaurant over the phone.
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Ahmed's third restaurant is her first in
Minneapolis and opened at 40th and Lyndale in 2021. The name means "please" in Lao and is intended to emphasize compassion. In addition to the restaurant, the space also includes a small shop, a private dining room, and a demonstration kitchen used for cooking
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Ahmed is married to
Tarique Ahmed, who is from Bangladesh and has a finance background and has expanded into owning real estate. Their first blind date was at Cafe Lurcat, down the street from the location where Ahmed's Gai Noi restaurant opened in 2023. They have twins, Maxwell and Emma, who were
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2023 list of the 50 best restaurants in the United States. The name is short for "khao gai noi, the short grain rice used to make sticky rice" and is "commonly known as 'little chick' because it’s spotted and small." The restaurant is inspired by Luang
Prabang, where Ahmed was born. In contrast to
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She was born in
Vientiane, Laos. Her family left Laos when Ahmed was two years old and lived in a Thai refugee camp until she was four. Her great uncle sponsored the family in immigrating to the United States, where they moved to Minnesota. Her mother worked several jobs to support the family and
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Ahmed's first restaurant opened in 2005 in
Brooklyn Park and gave her the opportunity to focus on food inspired by her heritage and traveling. She called it Thai because that cuisine was more commonly known in Minnesota at the time. Ahmed closed the restaurant in March 2023 after its 18-year run
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Lat14 opened in Golden Valley in 2018 in a former
Perkins that was dramatically redesigned by Shea Design in Minneapolis. The restaurant's name refers to the 14th parallel, which travels through Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and the Philippines.
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is a
Laotian-American chef and restaurateur in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her work has been recognized by the James Beard Foundation and the New York Times.
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Ahmed was named one of 50 people who are changing the way
Minnesotans eat by the Minneapolis Star Tribune in their 2023 Iconic Eats series
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editor
Khushbu Shah called Khâluna's Bucatini Talay the "most boundary-pushing noodles" she tasted in 2022.
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born in 2014. She told MPR that she enjoys making traditional Bengali curries for her husband at home.
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her other restaurants, Gai Noi is intentionally walk in only to create a "casual gathering feel."
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Selected as a 2019 Women's Entrepreneurial Leadership Fellow by the James Beard Foundation
695:"15 Years In The Making, Lat 14 Brings Fusion Of Flavor To Golden Valley - CBS Minnesota"
342:"Lat14 Asian Eatery, in former Golden Valley Perkins, heats up suburban culinary options"
671:"Seven Twin Cities Chefs, Restaurants, and Bars Are James Beard Semifinalists for 2024"
597:"Here Are the 2019 Women's Entrepreneurial Leadership Fellows | James Beard Foundation"
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Khâluna was named one of the best 15 new restaurants in the U.S. by Eater for 2022
317:"End of an Era as Ann Ahmed Closes Lemon Grass Thai, While Looking to the Future"
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because she felt like it had "run its course." She opened Gai Noi later in 2023.
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232:"How Ann Ahmed Is Paving a New Path for Southeast Asian Food in the Twin Cities"
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named the restaurant one of the best 15 new restaurants in the U.S. for 2022.
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Gai Noi was named one of the Top 50 Restaurants of 2023 by the New York Times
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449:"Review: Minneapolis' Gai Noi defies expectations, redefines casual dining"
261:"Khaluna named one of the 15 best new restaurants in U.S. - CBS Minnesota"
171:"Gai Noi in Minneapolis lands on New York Times list of best restaurants"
621:"The 2023 James Beard Awards Semifinalists | James Beard Foundation"
372:"Just-opened Khâluna in Minneapolis offers good looks, great tastes"
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Semifinalist for 2024 Best Chef: Midwest from the James Beard Awards
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Semifinalist for 2023 Best Chef: Midwest from the James Beard Awards
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479:"Five Dishes to Try at Chef Ann Ahmed's New Restaurant, Gai Noi"
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424:"Our Restaurant Editor Shares the Best Bites She Ate in 2022"
200:"About Us | Our Story | Asian Cuisine | Golden Valley, MN"
745:"James Beard nominee Ann Ahmed tells us what's for lunch"
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103:. Established in May 2023, the business was included in
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Relish episode from TPT about Ann Ahmed's sticky rice
646:"50 people who are changing the way Minnesotans eat"
546:"Ann Ahmed Reveals Her Loring Park Restaurant Name"
289:"Lat14 Chef Ann Ahmed's Recipe for Inspiration"
573:"Meet Gai Noi: Taste the Love in Loring Park"
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400:"The 15 Best New Restaurants in America"
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459:from the original on 2023-09-24
315:March, Stephanie (2022-12-20).
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669:Jones, Justine (2024-01-24).
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477:Jones, Justine (2023-05-25).
40:Lemon Grass Thai (2005-2023)
719:Rounds, Lisa (2022-03-08).
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340:Tribune, Rick Nelson Star.
169:Tribune, Joy Summers Star.
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508:"The Restaurant List 2023"
398:Eater Staff (2022-12-06).
287:Ecker, Kait (2019-06-24).
230:Cheng, Jon (2021-10-13).
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204:Lat14 Asian Eatery
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151:References
520:0362-4331
101:Minnesota
63:classes.
20:Ann Ahmed
749:MPR News
524:Archived
487:Archived
457:Archived
783:Gai Noi
778:Khâluna
89:Laotian
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