Niver Niver Land Gleam Tower Media

ok so this is kind of a rant but i don't want to actually call it a rant.

i've just had a lot of stuff on my mind.

i feel vulnerable sharing stuff like this, but these are just the honest thoughts that i'm having right now, as a restaurateur, in st. paul minnesota, in 2023.

no edits.

i love you all.

thanks for listening.

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Hey! It's our second live show! We recorded this thing on August 21st at Mucci's Italian in St. Paul, MN. I spoke with the incredible Christina Nguyen, who is co-owner of Hai Hai and Hola Area. These restaurants are in Minneapolis, MN and they are amazing.

So, yeah, Christina and I did this whole thing WHILE a coursed dinner was being served, which is crazy. Like, what is that? Who does live podcast dinners? We do, I guess.

We talked about a bunch of stuff: Christina's origin story as a chef, her trials, her tribulations, and restaurant stuff.

If you were there, thank you. If you weren't there, here's proof that it happened.

Thanks for listening!

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Follow Tim on Twitter and Instagram.

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Be sure to support Mucci's and Saint Dinette. How about making a reservation soon?

Also, you should totally buy a few of Muccis' frozen products, available in stores throughout the Twin Cities metro.

You can find Niver Niver Land across all of social media here:

Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

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Welcome to Niver Niver Land: a podcast that addresses massive change in the restaurant industry.

The show is hosted by award-winning restaurateur Tim Niver – a local legend of Minnesota's Twin Cities – known for his involvement with fabled spots like Aquavit, Town Talk Diner, and Strip Club Meat & Fish. Today, he runs Saint Dinette and Mucci's Italian in St. Paul.

Tim sees a major problem with restaurant industry dialogue: a lack of discussion about the ongoing, unprecedented change. Many of those who work in the industry are still trying to wrap their heads around what has happened over the last two years.

Today, Tim is ready to talk about these things – through his trademark wit and foolishness – so that we can better appreciate and preserve the cultural importance of restaurants.

Chef Jorge Guzmán (Petite León) is an interesting character. I've been in similar rooms with him throughout the years, but I never really got to know him. He always seemed brooding and uninterested. The dude was hard to approach.

But I recently got to know him much better. For today's episode, I sat down with this guy and figured out what made him tick. And, let me tell you, I think I understand what's going on.

He's been through a lot. Trauma. He's been ripped off. He's failed. Hard. He's extremely critical of himself. He has trouble accepting compliments and praise. At the same time, he knows he deserves praise. James Beard has certainly taken notice of him.

So here we are, Jorge and I. We sat down for over an hour to talk about his restaurant, his past, his heritage, his beliefs, and much more.

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Follow Tim on Twitter and Instagram.

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Be sure to support Mucci's and Saint Dinette. How about making a reservation soon?

Also, you should totally buy a few of Muccis' frozen products, available in stores throughout the Twin Cities metro.

You can find Niver Niver Land across all of social media here:

Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

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Welcome to Niver Niver Land: a podcast that addresses massive change in the restaurant industry.

The show is hosted by award-winning restaurateur Tim Niver – a local legend of Minnesota's Twin Cities – known for his involvement with fabled spots like Aquavit, Town Talk Diner, and Strip Club Meat & Fish. Today, he runs Saint Dinette and Mucci's Italian in St. Paul.

Tim sees a major problem with restaurant industry dialogue: a lack of discussion about the ongoing, unprecedented change. Many of those who work in the industry are still trying to wrap their heads around what has happened over the last two years.

Today, Tim is ready to talk about these things – through his trademark wit and foolishness – so that we can better appreciate and preserve the cultural importance of restaurants.

What's there to be said about Ann Ahmed? She's a force of nature.

Her latest restaurant – the Minneapolis-based Gai Noi – has once again proven that she is a master at the art of restaurants. Ever since she opened Lemon Grass Thai in the mid-2000s, she has drastically improved her standards of food and aesthetics.

Lemon Grass has since closed, but the two places that came after it, Lat 14 and Khâluna, have blown people away with their style, grace, and execution. The increasing level of quality has led to both regional and national recognition.

It might seem flashy and cool, but there is a driving force here: her heritage. Born in Laos, Ann moved to Minnesota at a young age. Even though she spent most of her life in the U.S., she continues to explore and honor her Laotian heritage through the food she serves and the experiences she creates.

And so, it was such an honor to sit down with Ann and really explore the connection she has to her heritage and how that reveals itself in the corners of her restaurants.
 
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Follow Tim on Twitter and Instagram.

-

Be sure to support Mucci's and Saint Dinette. How about making a reservation soon?

Also, you should totally buy a few of Muccis' frozen products, available in stores throughout the Twin Cities metro.

You can find Niver Niver Land across all of social media here:

Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

-

Welcome to Niver Niver Land: a podcast that addresses massive change in the restaurant industry.

The show is hosted by award-winning restaurateur Tim Niver – a local legend of Minnesota's Twin Cities – known for his involvement with fabled spots like Aquavit, Town Talk Diner, and Strip Club Meat & Fish. Today, he runs Saint Dinette and Mucci's Italian in St. Paul.

Tim sees a major problem with restaurant industry dialogue: a lack of discussion about the ongoing, unprecedented change. Many of those who work in the industry are still trying to wrap their heads around what has happened over the last two years.

Today, Tim is ready to talk about these things – through his trademark wit and foolishness – so that we can better appreciate and preserve the cultural importance of restaurants.

Here it is, fam! The first-ever liv episode of Niver Niver Land. We featured two Minneapolis bartenders – Robb Jones from Meteor Bar and Jessi Pollak from Spoon & Stable – for a wonderful conversation about the hospitality industry.


This was recorded on May 22nd at Saint Dinette to a sold-out room of people. The experience was surreal and we had a blast.

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Follow Tim on Twitter and Instagram.

-

Be sure to support Mucci's and Saint Dinette. How about making a reservation soon?

Also, you should totally buy a few of Muccis' frozen products, available in stores throughout the Twin Cities metro.

You can find Niver Niver Land across all of social media here:

Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

-

Welcome to Niver Niver Land: a podcast that addresses massive change in the restaurant industry.

The show is hosted by award-winning restaurateur Tim Niver – a local legend of Minnesota's Twin Cities – known for his involvement with fabled spots like Aquavit, Town Talk Diner, and Strip Club Meat & Fish. Today, he runs Saint Dinette and Mucci's Italian in St. Paul.

Tim sees a major problem with restaurant industry dialogue: a lack of discussion about the ongoing, unprecedented change. Many of those who work in the industry are still trying to wrap their heads around what has happened over the last two years.

Today, Tim is ready to talk about these things – through his trademark wit and foolishness – so that we can better appreciate and preserve the cultural importance of restaurants. 

Chef Jacob Schumack and photographer Roy Son are both experts in their respective crafts. But you know what else they’re good at? Eating. I consider these gentlemen to be professional diners. They’ve eaten at a lot of places in their day and their perspectives on dining are interesting to me right now. Why? Because the way we dine at restaurants has changed a lot in the last three years. To get a better insight into what those changes are – and how the industry can learn from these changes – I invited these guys onto the show to discuss how, why, and where they eat out.

CORRECTION: We labeled this season incorrectly at the beginning. This is actually season 6 episode 2. Daniel del Prado was season 6 episode 1. The Milwaukee Files were their own special thing. The next episode after this will be season 6 episode 3.

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Follow Tim on Twitter and Instagram.

-

Be sure to support Mucci's and Saint Dinette. How about making a reservation soon?

Also, you should totally buy a few of Muccis' frozen products, available in stores throughout the Twin Cities metro.

You can find Niver Niver Land across all of social media here:

Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

-

Welcome to Niver Niver Land: a podcast that addresses massive change in the restaurant industry.

The show is hosted by award-winning restaurateur Tim Niver – a local legend of Minnesota's Twin Cities – known for his involvement with fabled spots like Aquavit, Town Talk Diner, and Strip Club Meat & Fish. Today, he runs Saint Dinette and Mucci's Italian in St. Paul.

Tim sees a major problem with restaurant industry dialogue: a lack of discussion about the ongoing, unprecedented change. Many of those who work in the industry are still trying to wrap their heads around what has happened over the last two years.

Today, Tim is ready to talk about these things – through his trademark wit and foolishness – so that we can better appreciate and preserve the cultural importance of restaurants.