Today we’d like to introduce you to Ramesh Dahal.
Hi Ramesh, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in a village in Nepal near Mt. Everest. At the age of 16, I moved to Kathmandu and started at a culinary school while working in a restaurant. I graduated at the top of my class and was able to start at an airport restaurant managed by Crown Plaza. After this, I worked in a succession of establishments – hotels, motels, fine dining, fast food, and five-star restaurants, including the Angus Barn and Le Farm Bakery. In 2021, at the age of 41, I was able to open Momo’s Master in downtown Chapel Hill. I chose the location because there were no restaurants offering Himalayan cuisine in the area, and I knew that the people in the town would appreciate the fare. When I opened Momo’s Master, I had no idea that it would be so successful, and I knew that we would need more space. I was able to secure the former location of Jed’s Kitchen on Franklin Street and began turning that into a place where people would be able to meet, drink, and eat in a comfortable space. I chose the name Basecamp to reference the places where mountaineers spend the night before ascending the slopes. Basecamp is intended to complement Momo’s Master; the bar offers different drinks, the food is more international. It’s the perfect place for the start of an evening – there’s something for every event.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I can’t say it’s been a smooth road. There are always challenges, new difficulties that come up, especially in this industry. Being a good chef is not that easy. I have to spend my whole life, all the time, inside my cooking – if I don’t love what I do, I cannot be a good chef. In particular, I was hired by a US military camp as a chef in 2003 to work at Camp Taji in Iraq. When I arrived in the country, the army escorted us to the base, and I was shocked by the scale of the operation I would be responsible for. I had more obligations than I had previous experience managing, and this was all while there was a war on. There was a lot of shooting outside around the clock, and I lost friends to the Iraqi insurgents, all while I had to keep making food. I spent ten years there, making tens of thousands of meals per day, even while under bombardment during the day and night. This was the second-largest US military base in Iraq. It’s an experience that I have never forgotten.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Momo’s Master/Basecamp?
Momo’s Master is a Himalayan restaurant specializing in Nepali dumplings, called momos, in a variety of different styles, fillings, and with various sauces. The menu covers everyone. You can get anything from momo-based entrees to lamb sliders to rice pudding. We use the freshest vegetables from the local farmer’s market to the table. All the spices and noodles are from Nepal. Basecamp’s main field is global street food and drinks in a welcoming location perfect for celebration. The food menu is uniquely crafted, while the bar offers beer, wine, cocktails, and mocktails.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
Momo’s Master and Basecamp are unique in that our mission is not to compete with anyone but to provide for our customers healthier eating and drinking and to share food and culture with the people.
Image Credits
Ramesh Dahal
