Ann Kim's Next Restaurant Will Be Called 'Sooki & Mimi'

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Ann Kim's next restaurant has a name.

In a long profile on the James Beard Award-winning chef behind Young Joni and Pizzeria Lola, The New York Times revealed that Kim's next creation will be called Sooki & Mimi.

The name is a tribute to Kim's heritage: growing up Korean-American in Minnesota, eating both kimchi and KFC.

Sooki was the nickname of Kim's maternal grandmother, who filled the family's kitchen in Apple Valley with Korean staples like spicy gochujang.

Mimi was Kim's "adopted grandmother," a Minnesota woman who helped her family make the transition from life in South Korea to the Twin Cities.

The new restaurant, as has been previously reported, will be located in the heart of Uptown, in the space once held by Lucia's.

What exactly the restaurant will be remains a mystery. Kim is still working on the menu, but it's likely to involve tortillas. Maybe even some lefse.

Sooki & Mimi is scheduled to open early next year.

Earlier this year, Kim won the prestigious James Beard Award for best chef in the Midwest, becoming the first woman and person of color from the Twin Cities to do so.