The legacies of Keefer Court, Khyber Pass and immigrant-owned restaurants

Do you have a particular food that reminds you of home? Maybe it’s your grandma’s spaghetti recipe, the lumpia your family used to make or the pozole from the Mexican restaurant down the street.

Food has the power to comfort us and connect us with our families and cultures. And when we find a restaurant that serves those familiar foods, it can make us feel more at home.

Listen back to a conversation from earlier this year, as MPR News host Angela Davis talks about two restaurants that did just that for many Minnesotans — Khyber Pass in St. Paul and Keefer Court in Minneapolis.

Both restaurants closed in late 2022. And they’re not the only ones: A handful of other longtime Asian-owned restaurants in the Twin Cities closed in 2022 — like Asia Chow Mein in Columbia Heights and David Fong’s in Bloomington.

The New York Times reported in 2019 the share of Chinese-owned restaurants in major metropolitan areas is on the decline. 

Guests:

• Michelle Kwan is the former owner of Chinese bakery Keefer Court in Minneapolis. Keefer Court closed in Dec. 2022.

• Emel Sherzad  is the former owner of the Afghan restaurant Khyber Pass in St. Paul. Khyber Pass closed in Nov. 2022. 

• Ánh-Hoa Thị Nguyễn is a poet and writer raised in St. Paul by parents from Vietnam. She’s worked in grocery stores and restaurants, and has written about the connection between food and cultural identity.