By Sherry Hood
Photo supplied by Linh Nguyen.
Four years ago, Mi-Sant Kitchen & Bakery opened in the former Baker’s Square site on the north frontage road of Minnesota Highway 36 in Roseville.
The restaurant ‘s co-owners are sisters Linh and Kim Nyguyen whose Vietnamese immigrant parents run a grocery store and deli in St. Cloud.
The sisters followed their parents in the food business and opened two Mi-Sant restaurants in the Twin City area, the first and smallest with a drive-thru is in Brooklyn Park. Most of the family lives in Roseville within close proximity of one another.
Mi-Sant’s restaurant serves Vietnamese cuisine with its most popular items are the banh mi and the croissants – baked fresh every morning in their on-site bakery. (The sisters’ brother-in-law owns the popular 30+ year old Trung Nam restaurant on University Avenue. in St. Paul.).
Mi-Sant’s menu prices for main entrees range from $11 to $13. The sides dishes are from $5 to $9. Croissants prices cost between $4 to $11.
Mi-Sant’s customer traffic at Roseville has more than doubled since first opening, a testament to the restaurant’s delicious food and good service. Most of its customers are repeat patrons with some coming from as far away as Bloomington and Eden Prairie, and expressing an interest in having the Vietnamese restaurants closer to their towns.
Linh Nyguyen says that their business is focused on family. Linh has a 3-month-old and an 18-month-old at home. She believes strongly in community and that food brings people together.
“People need other people to live happily,” Linh said, adding she wants to “serve fresh food, good food, something different for the community.”
Linh says she has been approached by bigger companies that want to buy out her location. But she said she has no intentions of giving up her restaurant location.
Linh said she would like people in the Roseville community to gather at her restaurant and stay for awhile, whether they want to play bridge or engage with their small book club.
Currently, Mi-Sant doesn’t offer catering but can accommodate serving large parties.
Sherry Hood lives in Roseville and is a founding board member of the Roseville Reporter.
