A Korean immigrant, Ann credits her culinary palate to helping her mother and grandmother at an early age make traditional staples such as fermented bean paste and kimchi. Her college years at New York’s Columbia University laid the foundation for her dream of bringing great pizza to Minnesota, and her years as a freelance actor fostered her value of creativity. Ann is the culinary mind behind Pizzeria Lola, Hello Pizza, Young Joni and Kyndred Hearth located at the Omni Viking Lakes Hotel.
In 2019 Ann received the James Beard Award for “Best Chef Midwest.” In 2022, Chef Ann was featured as one of six chefs profiled on Netflix's Chef's Table: Pizza (season 7, episode 3).
I love having a job that challenges me to be creative not only in the execution of a great dish, but in every aspect of what I do. Creativity is freedom from the mundane and allows me to do my best work while inspiring others in our organization to do the same.
Raised in North Dakota, Conrad graduated from Yale University and earned an MBA from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management. He worked as an analyst and in leadership positions for financial companies including Aetna, IDS, American Express, Piper Jaffray, and Black River Asset Management before devoting himself full time to restaurant ownership in 2010. He has run distance since high school and continues to compete in marathons and half marathons.
As CFO, I'm always looking for opportunities to make investments in our restaurants, our people, our organization, and new concepts.
