2024 ReFED Food Waste Solutions Summit

Christina Nguyen is the Chef & Owner of Hola Arepa and Hai Hai restaurants in Minneapolis, MN.  With no formal training and a deep love of street food, Christina and her husband Birk opened a food truck called Hola Arepa in 2011, and have opened two brick & mortar restaurants since then.  Christina brings together her love of bold, tropical flavors & nostalgia for places traveled at both of her restaurants. Hola Arepa serves arepas, small plates & cocktails using Latin ingredients. Hai Hai is a love letter to the flavors & lush tropical beauty of Southeast Asia.  The menu at Hai Hai is inspired by Christina’s favorite foods she grew up eating during her Vietnamese-American upbringing, and other dishes she fell in love with during her travels throughout Southeast Asia. Christina was a finalist for a James Beard Award for Best Chef Midwest for Hai Hai in 2019 & 2020 and a semifinalist in 2018. Her restaurants have been featured in Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, Esquire & more.