i. Biography
The Climb
San Diego State University is the only formal education listed here for Ann Ahmed, and the rest of the record is kitchen labor: deli work at Lao Market on Nicollet in Minnesota, catering from a garage, then ownership. That sequence shows the usual ladder in this trade—service counter, small-volume production, then the pressure of running your own dining room. Lemon Grass Thai in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota became the long-running base of that work, with Ann Ahmed as chef/owner from 2005 to 2023. The throughline is continuity: one address for nearly two decades, then a later expansion into Lat14 Asian Eatery in Golden Valley and Gai Noi in Minneapolis.
Today
The pandemic is part of the operating record for Ann Ahmed, and she has framed it as a reset that forced adjustment rather than a pause. In her words, it shaped people and left them, as she put it, "a better version of ourselves pre-pandemic."
Recognition
Ann Ahmed has received James Beard Award, Best Chef: Midwest.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Ann
Where did Ann Ahmed train or study?
Ann Ahmed trained at San Diego State University.
What recognition has Ann Ahmed received?
Women's Entrepreneurial Leadership Fellow (2019).
