Hashtag Staff
When Mimi Yong and Jim Panciera moved from the Northeast to West Virginia in 2010, they brought their appetites with them. Mimi had spent years in New York City, where bold, varied flavors from around the world were never far away, and the couple quickly noticed that the Greenbrier Valley’s food scene didn’t offer quite the same range.
When they wanted something more, they hit the road, traveling to nearby cities to try different food traditions that aren’t usually available in a small town. “Every once in a while, we go out, and when we do, we travel just to eat,” Mimi says.
In between those trips, Mimi did what any determined cook would do and experimented in her own kitchen. “I’m picky. I can’t eat American food every day,” she says. “I have my own cravings, and I have to cook.” She cooks almost seven days a week.
That passion is the foundation of Mimi’s Kitchen and Asian Cuisine, a takeout-only restaurant just north of Lewisburg that Mimi runs alongside her husband. The menu is diverse and offers locals call-ahead access to unique dishes that you would typically only find in a larger city. Their offerings range across Korean, Japanese, Thai, Malaysian, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Italian cooking. In Mimi’s Kitchen, every dish is made fresh from scratch when the customer places the order.
The couple took a long road to get here. Mimi was born in Malaysia and lived in New York City. Jim grew up in Connecticut. The couple has been married for 21 years, and they have worked side by side for most of it. A restaurant was always part of the plan, but they agreed to wait for the right moment.
That moment arrived after a long search for the right space.
“We looked everywhere for a place, downtown…everywhere. It just wasn’t working out,” Mimi says, but when she saw this space become available. “I said, ‘You know what—We gotta take it! If a chance comes, we take it!”
They quit their jobs and dove in.
Inside the kitchen, the work is shared. Between the two of them, they cook, clean, take orders, answer the phone, and cover both the front and back of the house. The name on the door makes clear whose kitchen it is, but the day-to-day runs on teamwork.
Much of what Mimi knows, she learned by doing. When she came across a dish she loved, she set out to master it at home, often through trial and error, then shared the results with friends, family, and co-workers. “I learned how to make it at home. And then I bring it to work, and we have friends try it… that’s how I learned to make everything,” she says. Their reactions built her confidence along the way.
Jim’s story runs parallel. He grew up in Connecticut on homemade Italian cooking and Greek-style pizza, a regional tradition. He says traditional Italian flavor is hard to find around West Virginia. So he makes his own.
“It’s pizza, but it’s 100% made from scratch, and the recipe is different from others,” he says. “So far, everybody loves it. They can’t complain.”
The menu is meant to evolve, and the couple plans to keep what customers love most. For first-timers, Mimi points to the Lo Mein and her Spicy Wontons. She’s also proud of her soups, all made from scratch. Jim seconds the wontons and adds the Drunken Noodles and his signature Greek New London Style Pepperoni Pizza, topped with a traditional sauce that simmers for two days.
Because every order is prepared by hand, often with several going at once, it’s best to call ahead and allow a little extra time for Mimi and Jim to make it right. That’s the trade-off for good food, made fresh, and that’s what makes Mimi’s Kitchen a good fit for a busy fall evening: it’s unique, it’s fresh, and it’s easy.
A few additions are already on the horizon. Weekend Italian specials are planned for later this fall, once the weather cools, and Miso Ramen is coming soon.
The ramen has, in a way, already made its debut. After the couple enjoyed a ramen dinner out in Salem, Virginia, Mimi decided she could do better. The couple bought the ingredients, and she made a batch at home. Jim says it was outstanding. She posted a photo with a “coming soon” note, and the phone started ringing.
“All week I’ve gotten phone calls, ‘Is the ramen ready?’” Mimi says, “It makes us very happy.”
For Mimi and Jim, that kind of reaction is what makes the work worthwhile. Owning the restaurant gives them room to experiment and add their own spin to the traditional dishes that inspire their menu, all while introducing some new, bold flavors to the Greenbrier Valley.
Mimi’s Kitchen and Asian Cuisine is located at 3474 North Jefferson Street, Suite 107. To place an order or check hours, call (304) 520-4036. New dishes, specials, and promotions are posted regularly on the restaurant’s website, www.mimiskitchenasiancuisine.com, and on Facebook at Mimi’s Kitchen and Asian Cuisine.
