Chef Diane Moua has made a significant impact on the Minneapolis culinary scene by blending her acclaimed pastry skills with the comforting flavors of her Hmong heritage. She has received seven James Beard nominations, including two as a finalist for Outstanding Pastry Chef and one for Best Chef: Midwest in 2025. As the owner and executive chef of Diane’s Place—a Hmong American restaurant serving breakfast, brunch, and dinner—she has garnered recognition as Food & Wine's 2025 Restaurant of the Year and The New York Times' Best Restaurants in America. Before launching her restaurant, Diane served as the executive pastry chef for Soigné Hospitality Group, overseeing the pastry departments of renowned establishments such as Spoon and Stable, Bellecour, and Demi. A graduate of Le Cordon Bleu, Chef Moua has honed her skills at several notable restaurants, including La Belle Vie, Solera, and Aquavit.

Chef Nikki Tran is a Vietnamese-American chef, restaurateur, and product developer known for pioneering bold Viet-Cajun cuisine and modern Vietnamese flavors. She has been featured on Netflix series including Somebody Feed Phil, Ugly Delicious, and Street Food: Asia, and was the chef behind the acclaimed restaurant Kau Ba in Houston. Beyond restaurants, Nikki focuses on Vietnamese food innovation, clean-label sauces, fish sauce craftsmanship, and building bridges between traditional Southeast Asian cuisine and modern global dining culture.

Jay is a commercial real estate broker at Wyn Group in the Twin Cities, specializing in third-party tenant representation for retail-oriented clients. Born in London, raised in Ghana and Lebanon, and a graduate of the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management, Jay brings a global perspective and entrepreneurial spirit to everything he does. He works closely with business owners — many of them in the food & beverage space — guiding them through the complexities of leasing and acquiring commercial space as they launch and expand. Jay is passionate about being a true partner in his clients' growth, and his firsthand experience helping F&B operators find and secure their locations gives him a unique seat at the table.