Cooks’ Night Out

Cooks’ Night Out will next gather on Thursday, April 18 at 6:00 pm. We will be having dinner at our favorite Cambodian place, Cheng Heng Restaurant, located on 448 University Ave. W. in St. Paul. All are welcome!

“Cooks’ Night Out” was started when the Green Light Rail was under construction along University Avenue where many immigrant owned restaurants are located. The construction disrupted the traffic, parking, and entrances to their establishments. Many restaurants struggled to stay open, and some closed their doors due to poor business. We decided to to take a break from cooking and go have dinner together, and began to patronize a restaurant every month. We visited most of the restaurants along University. We also supported restaurants in our St Matthew’s neighborhood and along Snelling Avenue. We not only enjoyed a delicious meal together but were able to connect with the community. One Cambodian restaurant owner broke into tears when a big group of us showed up for dinner one night. It was a heartening display of gratitude.