One wonderful outcome of the growth of our momo empire has been the evolution of a team of amazing momo-makers, who – like Yeshi – are all immigrants here in Oxford.
Among them is Yeshi’s brother, Nyima, who you hear about along the way. Nyima was a Buddhist monk in India for two decades before moving to New York and falling into restaurant kitchens there for fifteen years. We poached him back in spring 2023 (we make it sound easy, but the process was protracted and fraught).
Our newest recruit is Chef Pema, who until recently ran her own restaurant inside the Dalai Lama’s temple in India (her husband has taken over the running of the restaurant – as well as the care of their two children – while she’s here). Growing up in Tibet, Yeshi and Nyima used to know Pema’s mum, who lived a couple of villages across from their own. Pema moved to Oxford in July and is now a familiar face behind the shop counter.
Chef Santos has been with us for the longest time – we recently passed the six-year mark. Santos is from East Timor, and when he joined us he didn’t even know what a momo was, let alone how to make one. Today he’s the speediest maker in the room. This year Santos became a dad for the first time, but he hasn’t met his little daughter yet. He’ll be back in East Timor for three months in the new year, spending precious time as a family, before rejoining us for festivals in May.
Like many food businesses, we’ve struggled to find the talent we need to support the beast that we’ve created. In recruiting people who have crossed the world to work with us, or whose only reason for staying here is to support family overseas, we have unwittingly taken on huge responsibilities that sometimes we find overwhelming.
But it’s not easy for our staff either. Often they have to ask for help for the simplest, smallest things. Navigating a new world, they need assistance with everything from opening bank accounts to registering with the GP, to name just the first couple of missions. It can be galling for grown-ups used to positions of responsibility back home to have to accept such vulnerability.
We’re united by a creative force and a pride in good hospitality, but more than this – and less romantically – we make it all work because everybody needs Taste Tibet to succeed so that the individuals and families dependent upon us all can continue to go about their lives.
Thank you to everyone who came out last weekend during Storm Darragh, and thanks to anyone who’s considering buying Taste Tibet this Christmastime. There are plenty of ways you can keep us going beyond taking your seat at the restaurant (though this is the best way). Signed cookbooks, chocolate tsampa truffles, chilli oil and hot mooli pickle all make great gifts, but so too does a load of freezer food or a bunch of TT gift vouchers. Merry Christmas and thank you!
The restaurant is open all the usual hours week, opening times as follows:
Weds – Fri: 5-9.30pm (dinner only)
Saturday: 12-3 / 5-9.30pm
Sunday: 12-3 / 5-9pm
This week’s menu is up on the website – check it! Come by for take away or dine in, or you can order home delivery through Deliveroo.
Finally, we were blown away by all the paid subscriptions we received last week when we opened up the option to support our writing on Substack. Thank you so much to everyone who pledged their pennies. We appreciate you!
But even free subscribers always get a discount or freebie. Subscribe to our new Substack to start bagging the deals.
Wishing you a happy week,
Julie and Yeshi
Opening hours this week:
Weds – Fri: 5-9.30pm
Saturday: 12-3pm 🥢 5-9.30pm
Sunday: 12-3pm 🥢 5-9pm
☏ 01865 49931
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