Chef-owner Abe Gessesse of Hyacinth in St. Paul joins Tim on this episode of Niver Niver Land for a conversation about what it really takes to run a restaurant today.

Abe took over Hyacinth in 2023, having been the first-line cook hired when the restaurant opened in 2018, eventually becoming its chef-owner and earning a James Beard semifinalist nomination shortly after taking the reins. 

In this episode, Tim and Abe talk about the realities behind restaurant ownership, including:

• the different phases every restaurant goes through
• how outside forces can suddenly reshape the business
• the massive hit Twin Cities restaurants took during the recent ICE raids
• the emotional and financial weight of ownership
• and what actually makes a restaurant good enough to survive long-term

Hyacinth is a tiny neighborhood restaurant known for its Italian-leaning menu and highly personal service, where guests can often see the kitchen at work and feel closely connected to the people making their food. 

For Abe and Tim, this conversation isn’t theoretical. It’s the lived reality of running restaurants in a city that’s constantly evolving.

If you’ve ever wondered what restaurant owners are really thinking behind the scenes, this one goes deep.

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NiverNiverLand is sponsored by Land O’Lakes Foodservice.

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