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From Flour to Food: Mills, Fuji-Ya, and Water Works

Introduction

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As you walk down West River Parkway, you can see how the riverfront has become a recreation spot for all kinds of activities. You may also notice the new construction on the right side of the walking path. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) is developing a site called "Water Works" that will be built within the ruins of the 1870 Bassett Sawmill and the 1882 Columbia Flour Mill. Fuji-Ya restaurant (1968-1990), the first Japanese restaurant in Minneapolis, previously occupied the site.

Backstory and Context

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At the construction site, you can notice the stone foundation of Bassett Sawmill and the Columbia Flour Mill. Reiko Umetani Weston’s Fuji-Ya restaurant made use of those elements as part of her restaurant’s foundation, which overlooked the falls.

Reiko Weston, a Japanese immigrant, chose the riverfront location for its view of the water and bridges, which she considered good luck. Hers was the first restaurant to introduce Japanese food to Minneapolis.

If you visited Fuji-Ya, you could have enjoyed suki-yaki, a one-pot Japanese dish cooked tableside. Fuji-Ya also had a teppanyaki area, and in 1981, Minnesota's first sushi bar. From the restaurant, you could look out over the river as you ate your meal.

In 1987, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) exercised eminent domain to acquire the land Weston owned between the restaurant and the river. Although it didn't take the building, the loss of parking space proved detrimental to the business and Fuji-Ya closed its riverfront location in May 1990. 

Water Works

Water Works is part of the MPRB thirty-year plan to bring “new historic, cultural, and recreational amenities to the most iconic location in Minneapolis and the region,” and is anticipated to open in fall 2020.

The park will include a restaurant conceived and managed by The Sioux Chef. The organization, founded by Sean Sherman (Oglala Lakota), is “committed to revitalizing Native American Cuisine and in the process we are re-identifying North American Cuisine and reclaiming an important culinary culture long buried and often inaccessible.” 

Sources

Nelson, Rick. "Fuji Ya: A Tale of Changing Tastes." Star- Tribune (Minneapolis) January 21st 2009. https://www.startribune.com/fuji-ya-a-tale-of-changing-tastes/38004979/

Tanaka, Kimmy and Jonathan Moore. "Fuji-Ya, Second to None - Reiko Weston's Role in Reconnecting Minneapolis and the Mississippi River." Minnesota History. 98 - 111.

The Sioux Chef Mission, The Sioux Chef. Accessed August 18th 2020. https://sioux-chef.com/about/.

Water Works, Minneapolis Parks Foundation. Accessed August 18th 2020. https://mplsparksfoundation.org/Initiative/water-works/.

Additional Information