How Union Hmong Kitchen is prepping for the Minnesota State Fair
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Union Hmong Kitchen is a vendor full of heart and ready to feed the masses at the Minnesota State Fair.
It's a labor love in the basement of Union Hmong Kitchen.
"This is where all the dough is made, so my mom makes all the dough here," head chef and owner Yia Vang said.
Vang recruited his family and friends to help make 18,500 galabaos, better known as steamed buns, for the State Fair.
Inside the sweet dough is meat and half a hard boiled egg.
READ MORE: Minnesota State Fair announces new foods for 2023
"We do about anywhere from 750 to a little bit over 800 a day," Vang said.
After prep and steaming, each galabao is then wrapped, cooled and frozen to be served the last two weeks of summer.
They hope to make enough to meet demand. To do this, they started prepping the first week in June, working 10-11 hours a day.
Vang's mom is the heart behind all the hard work.
"Literally mom's hand was involved in making every single one of these baos," Vang said. "She still is that mom who's just trying to take care of her babies, but now the baby is the greater state of Minnesota."
You can find Union Hmong Kitchen inside the International Bazaar on the State Fairgrounds. After experiencing long lines last year, they're adding a second register to hopefully keep the lines shorter and moving faster.
