Minnesota and Diane’s Place takes a star turn on ‘Good Morning America’

ABC’s “Good Morning America” caught onto what many Minnesotans already know: a good day starts at Diane’s Place. The show featured Diane Moua’s celebrated Minneapolis restaurant as a part of its ongoing series “50 States in 50 Weeks: America the Beautiful.”

GMA correspondent and Minneapolis native Rebecca Jarvis interviewed Moua inside the bustling restaurant, highlighting dishes like her chicken noodle soup, the Hmong pulled pork and, of course, those croissants.

Moua explained how she chose the name of her restaurant. “I was the first child born in the U.S., and the family that sponsored my mom and dad helped name me,” she said. “It was only right to call it Diane’s Place because it’s home. It’s the American dream of why my mom and dad sacrificed so much.”

Minneapolis City Council Member Michael Rainville then surprised Moua on-air with a declaration from Mayor Jacob Frey deeming Feb. 19 as Diane Moua Day — and a Ward 3 hoodie.

Diane’s Place opened in spring of 2024, Moua’s first restaurant after years of developing award-winning pastry programs for other notable local restaurants. She began with breakfast and lunch before expanding into dinner hours. From that point on she’s been recognized nationwide for her work, from the pastries to the savory dishes that feature produce largely sourced from her parents’ farm.

The restaurant was a Minnesota Star Tribune restaurant of the year in 2024, was featured in the New York Times and Moua was a James Beard Award nominee for Best Chef: Midwest.

The accolades continued in 2025, when Food & Wine declared it the Best New Restaurant in America. The Star Tribune’s Raphael Brion, Food & Wine’s critic at the time, wrote of the way the restaurant “seamlessly blended Moua’s experience as a classically trained pastry chef with her roots in Hmong home cooking.”

The “Good Morning America” segment went on to feature 90 seconds of Minnesota’s greatest hits, ranging from Prince, parks and Post-It notes to Target, Bob Dylan, the State Fair, Mall of America and the iconic Jucy Lucy.