Hi all. Namaste.

 

I’m finally entering the “blog world” after so many requests from students, friends, and family. Just to let you know, I am from the center of the earth. I grew up in a Newari family in Kathmandu, Nepal, in Ason Tole. Ason is an ancient bazaar and trading center for India and Tibet. My surname is Vaidya, meaning Ayurvedic Doctor - my forefathers practiced Ayurveda, which is based on using food, herbs, and spices as medicine. So here I am a “Kitchen Doctor” teaching ancient wisdom and traditional ways of cooking at various public events, and at many schools, to raise health awareness. I am the Man with the PaN. 

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I began my tourism and hospitality journey 30 years ago in 1989 with my brother Puskar. When we co-founded Tom and Jerry Pub in Kathmandu (it is still successfully running, check it out here!).

 

After graduating from the Western Culinary Institute, I was fortunate to train under Chef Troy Cannan and Chef Mark Franz, owner of James Beard award nominee The Farallon. 

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My teaching career started more than 20 years ago in Nepal where I taught western food to Nepalese women, then later taught international cuisine at Le Cordon Bleu.I was lead chef instructor at Oregon Culinary Institute for past 16 years, thanks to my mentor, Chef Wilke. 

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A fascination with the flavors of the world led me to travel around the world learning different cuisine. In the end, I chose to focus on Nepalese cuisine because food is an integral part of our culture - when people walk into our house, the first thing we ask is “Have you eaten?” It’s the way we say hello!