Minneapolis Update (Dec. 25, 2025): Milkjam Owners Buy Former Young Joni Building as Teen Arrested in Thomas Avenue North Homicide

MINNEAPOLIS — Dec. 25, 2025 — Minneapolis is heading through Christmas with two headlines that capture the city’s split-screen reality: a marquee Northeast Minneapolis restaurant space is changing hands in a deal that could reshape the local dining scene, while investigators continue working a deadly North Minneapolis shooting that ended with a 17-year-old in custody.

Below is what’s known as of Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025, based on the latest available reporting and official public information.

Milkjam and World Street Kitchen owners buy the former Young Joni building in Northeast Minneapolis

A prominent Northeast Minneapolis building best known as the former home of Chef Ann Kim’s acclaimed restaurant Young Joni has been purchased by the operators behind two well-known Twin Cities food brands: Milkjam Creamery and World Street Kitchen.

According to local reporting, an entity managed by Saed Wadi—brother and business partner of chef Sameh Wadi—bought the building at 157 13th Ave. NE along with an adjacent parcel for $2.6 million. ^[1]

A separate post from the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal’s news account also described the buyer as an LLC affiliated with the World Street Kitchen ownership group, pegging the purchase price at $2.6 million and noting plans tied to a future restaurant. ^[2]

Why this building matters in Minneapolis food culture

For nearly a decade, Young Joni was one of the Twin Cities’ most celebrated restaurant destinations—known for wood-fired pizza and its “Back Bar” speakeasy vibe. The restaurant’s closure in 2025, following a lease renewal breakdown, landed like a cultural gut punch for many Minneapolis diners.

In June 2025, reports indicated Young Joni planned to close after it was unable to come to terms on a lease renewal, underscoring how quickly even nationally recognized restaurants can be destabilized by real estate costs and lease negotiations. ^[3]

That context is why this new purchase is drawing so much attention: it doesn’t just represent a property transaction. It signals that one of the city’s most coveted dining rooms may soon re-enter the market—with a new operator, a new concept, and potentially a new chapter for the neighborhood.

Who are the Wadi brothers and what do they run in the Twin Cities?

The building’s new owners are tied to a restaurant group with deep roots in Minneapolis.

World Street Kitchen describes itself as the “brainchild” of brothers Sameh and Saed Wadi, evolving from the popularity of their food truck into a year-round restaurant known for globally inspired flavors. ^[4]

The pair are also behind Milkjam Creamery, an ice cream shop that became widely known for inventive flavors and a more “chef-driven” approach to frozen desserts—part of a broader wave of Minneapolis concepts blurring the lines between dessert, bar culture, and full-service dining. ^[5]

What could open in the former Young Joni space?

As of Dec. 25, 2025, there is no single confirmed concept publicly detailed in the sources above that lays out exactly what will open and when. But the purchase is already fueling speculation.

One report raised the possibility that Sameh Wadi could revive “Saffron,” his former upscale Middle Eastern restaurant concept, as the group considers what comes next for the address. ^[6]

Even without a firm announcement, the move fits a familiar Minneapolis pattern: when prime restaurant real estate becomes available—especially in neighborhoods with strong dining traffic—operators who can control their own building gain a long-term advantage in a market where rent volatility has become a defining risk.

What happens next: the signals to watch

If you’re tracking how quickly this space could turn back into an operating restaurant, here are the practical indicators that typically come before a public opening date:

Business licensing and permitting activity (especially renovation permits, kitchen mechanical work, and fire inspections)
Hiring posts and vendor activity (often the first real-world sign that a concept is moving from idea to execution)
A brand reveal (name registration, website placeholder, social accounts, “coming soon” signage)
Soft-launch scheduling (friends-and-family nights and limited reservation releases)

For Northeast Minneapolis, the key question is whether the new ownership will aim to preserve some of the “destination” character the room once had—or build something entirely different for a post–Young Joni era.

Man fatally shot in North Minneapolis; 17-year-old arrested

While one headline points to investment and reinvention, another reflects a far more painful reality: a homicide investigation that began early Tuesday morning and continued into the holiday week.

What Minneapolis police say happened on Thomas Avenue North

The Minneapolis Police Department said officers responded at approximately 2:30 a.m. on Dec. 23, 2025, to a report of a shooting inside a residence on the 1600 block of Thomas Avenue North.

Police reported finding a man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Officers provided emergency aid, and the man was taken by EMS to North Memorial Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead. ^[7]

The department said preliminary information indicated a verbal argument escalated into gunfire, and the suspect fled before officers arrived. ^[8]

Arrest and investigation details

Police announced that a 17-year-old was arrested in connection with the homicide. ^[9]

In the city’s public release, Chief Brian O’Hara emphasized both the human toll and the broader concern about youth violence, stating that “settling disputes with a firearm is completely unacceptable,” while also noting investigators were examining possible ties between the arrest and other violent crime activity. ^[10]

Local TV reporting echoed the key facts: officers responded to a shooting call on Thomas Avenue North, located the victim with gunshot wounds, and later made a teen arrest. ^[11]

Minneapolis homicide count context in 2025

The Minnesota Star Tribune reported that this case is Minneapolis’ 65th homicide of 2025, compared with 78 as of the same date in 2024, based on its tracking. ^[12]

That context matters because it shapes how residents and policymakers interpret each new case: not only as an individual tragedy, but as part of a broader public safety picture that includes trends in shootings, arrests, and prevention strategies.

How to share information with investigators

Minneapolis police are asking anyone with information to contact investigators. The public release lists:

Email: policetips@minneapolismn.gov
Phone (voicemail tip line): 612-673-5845
Anonymous options through CrimeStoppers (including phone and online submission) ^[13]

The case number provided by the department is 25-365460. ^[14]

A tale of two Minneapolises on Christmas: investment and grief in the same week

It’s not unusual for a city to see major business news and major crime news at the same time. But the timing—right as families gather for Christmas—makes both stories hit harder.

On one side, a highly recognizable restaurant space, still emotionally “owned” in the public imagination by the memory of Young Joni, now has an owner-operator with a track record of turning bold ideas into busy dining rooms. ^[15]

On the other, another Minneapolis family is facing a holiday defined by loss, as investigators work to determine what happened in the hours before dawn on Thomas Avenue North. ^[16]

For many residents, that contrast is Minneapolis in 2025: a city that continues to attract culinary ambition and neighborhood reinvention—while still wrestling with the life-and-death stakes of firearm violence.

What to watch after Dec. 25, 2025

Here are the most likely “next updates” readers can expect on each story:

Former Young Joni building: next steps

Confirmation of what concept the Wadi group plans to open
Renovation details (timeline, scope, whether the room is reconfigured)
Any indication of whether the new restaurant will be fast-casual, full-service, or hybrid, and whether a bar program will be central

Thomas Avenue North homicide: next steps

Possible formal charging decision from prosecutors (adult vs. juvenile pathways can affect what’s publicly released)
Release of the victim’s identity (often after next-of-kin notification)
Court proceedings and any additional investigative details made public by authorities

As of Dec. 25, 2025, the available public information confirms the arrest and the ongoing nature of the investigation, but does not publicly lay out the full sequence of events beyond the preliminary argument-to-gunfire description. ^[17]