2018 International Pizza Expo

Ann Kim
Owner and Executive Chef
Pizzeria Lola, Hello Pizza and Young Joni


Ann Kim is the Chef/Owner of Pizzeria Lola, Hello Pizza and Young Joni, all located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. A Korean immigrant, she credits her culinary palate and love of cooking to helping her mother and grandmother make traditional staples such as fermented bean paste and kimchi. In 2010 she opened her first restaurant, Pizzeria Lola, a Minneapolis staple that has been lauded both locally and nationally. Her second restaurant, Hello Pizza, is an East Coast-inspired slice shop that frequently tops ‘Best Of’ lists. Young Joni opened in 2016 and serves an eclectic genre-bending menu featuring her signature pizzas and other wood-fired dishes. It is the recipient of several awards including Minneapolis Star Tribune's Restaurant of the Year and GQ's Best New Restaurants in America. In 2019, Ann became the first woman and first person of color from Minneapolis to receive the James Beard Award for “Best Chef Midwest." She has been featured in the New York Times, Vogue, Forbes, Wall Street Journal and CBS Saturday’s “The Dish.” Her highly-anticipated fourth restaurant, Sooki & Mimi, also located in Minneapolis, is slated to open in 2020.

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