When all is said and done, the former Mai Village restaurant on University Avenue in St. Paul will be broken up into three food operations.

SotaRol rolled ice cream opened earlier this year in the front portion of the restaurant. Now, an Asian fusion restaurant has taken over the main kitchen and dining area and officially opened Monday. Early next year, a sushi operation called Monkon is slated to go into the bar area, which currently sits vacant.

The dining area will serve as a common space where anyone ordering from the three food operations can nab a seat and enjoy their meal or dessert. “It’s almost like a food hall. That’s the vision we’re trying to establish,” said Pheng Vang, finance director at Hmong American Partnership, which owns the building, renamed Long Cheng Plaza, and has offices upstairs.

Hmong American Partnership runs Tapestry Restaurant (394 University Ave., St. Paul; tapestryrestaurant.org or facebook.com/Tapestryrestaurantstp/) and has brought in chef Tieng Vang, who has owned and operated dim sum and Chinese restaurants, including the former Yummy Restaurant in Minneapolis.

The menu includes soup, such as red curry, and noodle dishes, such as pad Thai. Vegetarian, chicken, pork, beef and seafood dishes, such as beef chow fun, chicken and broccoli and blackened salmon, also make up the menu. In early 2018, dim sum will likely be added.

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“The vision is for it to also be a training ground in the hospitality and restaurant business — cooks, chefs, servers — and for those who do not have proficiency in the English language,” said Pheng Vang. “It’s a way to build your resume. Restaurants are one of the 10 highest-demand industries for labor in Minnesota. There’s expected to be a shortage and we’re hoping to fill that void.”

The space has been refreshed, but Mai Village’s signature hand-carved wood accents, bridge and koi pond remain. The Vietnamese restaurant closed on Nov. 18 of last year.