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Business & Tech

Front of the House: A Taste of the Himalaya

Pemba Sherpa delivers his personal brand of hospitality and cuisine from Nepal

in Napa, the new restaurant that occupies the landmark Old Adobe building at Soscol and Silverado Trail, features food from Nepal, Tibet and India. This is Pemba Sherpa’s fourth restaurant in the Bay Area; others are in San Francisco, Sausalito and Sonoma.

Sherpa refers to an ethnic group that lives on the border of Nepal and Tibet. Sherpas are known for their adaptability to the region’s altitude, and once Nepal opened to tourists in the early 1950s, Sherpas emerged as guides and hosts. “People needed assistance climbing Mount Everest,” said Pemba.

Today, Pemba Sherpa translates his natural inclination for hospitality to the restaurant industry in Northern California.

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I stopped in to chat with Pemba after a busy lunch hour. One couple lingered, and about halfway through our conversation, they stopped by and shook Pemba’s hand. The husband had had dinner here the night before, and insisted on bringing his wife for lunch the very next day. “It’s that good,” he said, and Pemba smiled.

Julie: When did you come here from Nepal?

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Pemba: I came here in 1997 for college. When I graduated, my partner called me and said, “Do you want to open a restaurant?” And I said,  “Sure, why not.”

Julie: Four restaurants later, here you are. Do you miss Nepal?

Pemba: Every day. But I love the restaurant business and the cooking. 

Julie: You’re in a pretty legendary location.

Pemba: Everybody says it’s a risky location- but I see potential in it. The whole building structure and everything is pretty much like Nepal.

Julie: Well, everyone knows where it is! You went to culinary school and worked for Michael Chiarello. That’s pretty impressive.

Pemba: I didn’t know who Michael Chiarello was -- I happened to apply at his restaurant and they hired me the week before they opened.

Julie: What did you learn?

Pemba: I learned how a commercial kitchen worked, from taking orders to getting food to the table. We served 500 people a day!

Julie: You can’t get much better experience than that.

Pemba: Michael Chiarello called me 'Nepali Tiger.'

Julie: Also impressive.

Pemba: I’m good at this business—that’s what I found out.

Julie: It’s very comfortable here. Like “you don’t want to leave” comfortable.

Pemba: Thank you! I didn’t want to open a restaurant with a lot of typical Nepal travel posters.  I only put this picture up (gestures to a framed picture above the doorway leading into the kitchen) because it’s a blessing from a high monk at the Santa Cruz monastery.

Julie: Your food is based on recipes from Nepal. What makes your food different from other Nepalese restaurants?

Pemba: Our food tastes just like it’s supposed to taste, but the whole dimension of how it looks is different. Some people just slap it on the plate and serve it, without much of a visual effect to it.  We serve butterfish-- it’s amazing. It’s the best thing I’ve ever cooked. Our chickens are free-range.  And I don’t buy vegetables that aren’t in season.

Julie: You’re the gourmet Nepalese restaurant. How is the Napa restaurant different from your other restaurants?

Pemba: Right now the Sausalito and Napa menus are just the same.  I want to see, for about a month, what people respond to. We already have six reviews on Yelp. Someone didn’t like one of my dishes.

Julie: That happens.

Pemba: Last night I was sleeping, and you know that state when you’re between dream and reality? I thought, “What can I do to make that dish better?” 

Taste of the Himalayas is open daily from 11 am to 10 pm. It's located at 367 Soscol Ave.,  phone 251-3840.

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