by Dennis Dalman
Sartell resident Nina Pazik is about to open a new restaurant called Nana’s Asian Bistro in Sartell’s Riverside Plaza – Nana’s because Nana has long been Nina’s nickname.
The restaurant is expected to open by the end of August.
For about 10 years, Pazik (formerly Koster) was the owner/operator of “Our Chef,” a one-woman business in which she would visit people’s homes in Sartell and elsewhere, at their request, to cook them gourmet specialty dinners. Her young daughter, Madison, would help out with the business now and then. Now 21, she is enrolled in a dental hygiene program at Herzing College in the Twin Cities area. Madison intends to help at the restaurant during her breaks back home from school.
Pazik’s other family members are husband Jay, daughter Mia, son Mason and a stepdaughter, Keira.
Before her “My Chef” venture, Pazik and a business partner owned “Elle Nina World Catering” and would cook dinners in people’s homes, in addition to doing some decorating, elegant table layouts and sometimes giving cooking lessons.
Pazik has always been a cuisine adventurer. When she eats a new meal in a new restaurant, her mind and taste-buds work overtime, trying to “figure out” the dish and how she can duplicate it – with her own special touches – when she gets home to her own kitchen. That is how she absorbed and mastered such a wide variety of cuisines.
In addition to her “My Chef” business, which she started in 2012, she also worked at that same time at an at-home job for a bank, Capitol One. She still holds that job.
Pazik has had a most interesting life. Born in Laos, she became a refugee in neighboring Thailand during conflicts in that war-torn Southeast Asian area. Her family left there when she was just 3 years old. They were able to emigrate to Des Moines, Iowa, where the family had a sponsor.
After high school in Des Moines, she moved to Sartell in 1999 to be close to family members in the area.
“I fell in love with this town,” Pazik said during an interview with the Newsleader. “Everything was so new, and I saw so much potential here.”
She is the youngest of two brothers and a sister.
Pazik learned to cook Thai-style foods at the former Sawadtee Restaurant in downtown St. Cloud. But long before that, her grandmother and aunt who raised her taught her cooking skills and thus developed her love of cooking. Her brother, Sam, has long owned a restaurant in Des Moines where he developed a “secret sauce.” It is so good that President George H.W. Bush raved it up when he happened to eat at Sam’s during an Iowa caucus campaign many years ago. Pazik’s brother shared the secret-sauce recipe with her. It’s a brown sauce that goes well with any kind of Oriental stir-fry.
One of Pazik’s specialties, a dish she especially loves to make, is Thai Coconut Curry.
The restaurant will feature a wide variety of Asian dishes (Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese), and fresh homemade Udon noodles will be made right on the premises.
Among the colorful, delicious menu choices are Vietnamese Pho (soft rice noodles in a spiced aromatic broth), fresh and fried spring rolls (including a vegetarian version), cream-cheese wonton, Pad Thai, fried-rice bowl, Japanese ramen, Thai coconut curry, Laotian grilled steak, fried fish, cooked-shrimp ceviche and teriyaki-chicken bowl.
Pazik recommends that for quicker service customers can use Toast app, Grubhub and Doordash. The restaurant offers delivery, pick-up and, of course, dine-in options and catering. There is also a private-party area. During upcoming football season, Nana’s will have party trays available.
Nana’s Asian Bistro will be open from Monday through Saturday for lunch (11 a.m.-2 p.m.), and for dinner from 4:30 p.m.-8 p.m. on those same days. The bistro is located at 101 Seventh St. N, in Riverside Plaza, right next to the Hardware Hank’s store. Its phone number is 320-492-5961.
For more about the new restaurant, visit online at www.nanasasianbistro.com.
Nina Pazik is shown with her husband Jay, daughter Mia and son Mason. Not pictured are her other daughter Madison and stepdaughter, Keira.
