The 2025 Restaurant of the Year Is…

Dear Pros,

Hunter here. I hope you had a wonderful Labor Day weekend.

This September marks Restaurant Month here at Food & Wine, which means we're rolling out our annual Restaurant Issue and several special features and accolades in the coming weeks, starting today with our 2025 Restaurant of the Year, Diane's Place in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

At this breakfast, lunch, and dinner spot you’ll find towering Thai tea French toast, Spam and nori croissant sandwiches, Hmong sausage served over sticky rice, and a pastry case offering classic viennoiserie alongside proprietor Diane Moua's croissants filled with coconut and pandan or Danishes topped with sweet pork and cured egg yolks. The dinner menu features homey, family-style Hmong riffs like sour pork short ribs and a duck stew with Thai eggplant and lemongrass.

As Raphael Brion writes, Moua worked and trained as a pastry chef in the Twin Cities for more than 20 years, but at home, she tells him, she preferred to cook savory food that reflected her upbringing. "To me, going home and cooking Hmong food is my happy place."

Moua grew up on her parents' 120-acre farm in central Wisconsin. It served as a hub for the local Hmong community full of friends and family who had fled their country following the Vietnam War and settled in the Midwest. "We took good care of people when they came to our house," she says. "My dad never let anybody leave unless they had a meal or a drink."

She and her team share the same warm hospitality at her restaurant. "When people come to Diane's Place, I want them to feel like we're taking care of them like they're at my house. It's not just about the food; it's about how you make people feel."

One of the things I love most about this job leading F&W is getting to know and learn from leaders like Diane. I'm looking forward to meeting her in person next week when she joins us for the 2025 Best New Chefs Mentorship Program in New York City. In the meantime, I asked her to share a few details about the underpinnings of her team culture and approach to hospitality.

For F&W Pro, we consider culture to be a part of leadership. Tell us about the culture you've cultivated at Diane's Place.
Our mission statement is: Connect experiences to inspire ourselves and one another. Our core values include honesty, respect, dedication, learning, and support and care.

How does the team culture impact the way you show up for one another and for guests?
We foster support and community among staff. For instance, before dinner service, our back-of-house team engages in a pre-service ritual, where we huddle together to share words of encouragement. This camaraderie translates into the dining experience. I want our guests to feel the warmth of hospitality.

Your name is on the restaurant, but you rely on your team to deliver a high level of food, service, and hospitality. How do you instill those values?
During onboarding, new employees are introduced to both my culinary journey and personal story. They learn about the history of our dishes and the inspiration behind them, as well as the sourcing of our ingredients. They discover how my parents deliver fresh vegetables from their farm weekly during the summer, how we source bamboo from my relative's farm in South Carolina, and how we procure poultry from Wild Acres Farm, just two hours outside of Minneapolis.

Who are some of the chefs and leaders you've worked for in the past that you admire?
Chef Adrienne Odom was the first to hire me and taught me the art of pastry making. 1997 F&W Best New Chef Tim McKee expanded my palate and culinary perspective. 2007 F&W Best New Chef Gavin Kaysen educated me on the intricacies of the restaurant business and the importance of nurturing relationships. Most importantly, my parents instilled in me the value of hard work and staying grounded.

Congrats to Diane and her team for earning the 2025 Restaurant of the Year accolade. Stop by when you're in Minneapolis, and I'll see you next week with a special announcement of the 2025 class of Food & Wine Best New Chefs.

Warmly,
Hunter