About Mom and Miya's



Almost half a century ago, my mother, Yoshiko Lai, an immigrant and single mother of three young children, started a catering business using a four-burner electric stove in a tiny Yale University apartment on Prospect Street. By sharing the flavors of her childhood from the countryside of Southern Japan, she laid the groundwork for what would become her little restaurant.

'Miya' in Japanese means 'temple.' She chose this name because she aspired to make food that was meaningful, transcending mere sustenance. For nearly four decades, Yoshiko cooked at Miya's in downtown New Haven.

My mom continues to prepare her cherished recipes at 'Miya's in the Wild,' along with my sister, Mie, my brother, Ted, my dad, Dr. Lai, and friends like Matt, who has cooked with me for nearly three decades.

Bun






About Me



I spent endless summers with my little brother, Ted, exploring outdoors. Sometimes we’d carefully dig up the long tap root of a burdock; other times, we’d search for natural treasures. Ted would fill his pockets with shiny stones, bones, feathers, and other beautiful objects.

Like eels, dragonflies, and birds that mysteriously find their way back home, we were always drawn back to the wild parts of where we grew up—the mouth of the Mill River by the waterfall where we’d fish for sunnies, and to West Haven Beach by Jimmy’s Seafood where we’d drag for shiners.

Bun

About Us



"Miya's In The Wild," the "Wild Life Cooking Collective," and " Wild Life Greens" represent our journey back to nature, as well as the evolution of our mother’s little eatery into a way of cooking and eating that is deeply rooted in the rhythms of the natural world.

Bun