Yum! Kitchen and Bakery expanding to St. Paul in former O'Gara's location

"So, I'm opening a restaurant," said Patti Soskin. "It's finally happening, and I'm super-excited."

The Yum! Kitchen and Bakery owner is launching her third venture in the street level of the Harper Apartments, a five-story mixed-use building at the southeast corner of Snelling and Selby avenues in St. Paul.

The project — a partnership with Soskin's husband, Robbie Soskin — was in the works before being delayed by the pandemic. But construction has started, and the doors are set to open in late October.

"The first time I looked at the space was 2½ years ago, and when I walked in, I immediately knew that everything felt right," said Soskin. "Your heart isn't always the best business plan, but sometimes you just have to do it."

The location has special significance for Soskin. She grew up in the nearby Highland Park neighborhood, and her grandfather's plumbing business was kitty-corner from the restaurant's address.

"My dad grew up behind the plumbing shop," said Soskin. "When we filed the legal papers, we used 'Yum! Homeland' as the legal name. It's my old stomping ground. It feels like home."

There's another tie to Soskin's past: The new Yum! will serve beer on tap, which is a first, and a sort-of nod to the site's longtime occupant, O'Gara's, which closed in 2018.

"I had my first underage illegal beer at O'Gara's," she said with a laugh.

Soskin opened her first Yum! in St. Louis Park (4000 Minnetonka Blvd.) in 2005 and expanded to Minnetonka (6001 Shady Oak Rd.) in 2015. Soskin said that Yum! fans will feel right at home in the St. Paul location.

"When you walk in, you'll know you're in a Yum!" she said. "It will be similar in size to the other two. It'll have the exact same menu. It'll have a bakery within the restaurant that will bake all the breads, desserts and morning pastries. Free smells."

Yes, that means that Soskin's signature Patticake — a triple-layer chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream icing — will take its starring role, along with the lobster club sandwich, Szechuan salmon, chicken soup with matzo balls, blueberry salad, tuna melt and one of the city's best chicken salad sandwiches, among other classics.

The restaurant will also feature a four-season patio, lined with garage-style doors. The project is being designed by Shea, the Minneapolis-based design firm that created the look for Soskin's two other Yum! outposts.

How does it feel to have a third restaurant?

"Can I tell you after it opens?" asked Soskin. "What's great is that our opening management team is people who have been with me for years, and they're ready for it. Being able to promote from within is a great thing."

Rick Nelson • @RickNelsonStrib