Today we’d like to introduce you to Leezen Amatya, Daniel Flores, Thang Duong, and Minu Amatya.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
The Momo Shack story is two-fold. Firstly, we have one of our team members, Leezen, who moved from Nepal to the US at the age of 10. After moving from Nepal to the growing city of Plano, Texas, he quickly started to forget his native roots and traditions in his aspiration to “fit in” and adjust to this new world.
Almost a decade later, Thang, Daniel and Leezen connected during their undergraduate years at UT Dallas and soon became really good friends. Coincidentally, Daniel and Thang also moved to the US at the age of 10 from Mexico and Vietnam, respectively.
Throughout Leezen’s childhood, his mom, Minu, would make momos at home. This was always a family event because dumplings are such a delicate food product, so it was a nice way for him to bond with Minu. Leezen would occasionally take some momos to school/work which would always be a big hit with his friends and coworkers. That’s when the initial lightbulb went off. What started as a broad idea during our college years finally became a reality on December 23, 2017.
We are now a family and friends owned pop-up business working on sharing our culture and serving you the unique concept of momos!
Please tell us about your art.
We make Momos which are dumplings from Nepal. Each region has their own version of dumpling, so dumplings are something we all can relate to. However, most people aren’t familiar with Nepali dumplings and often ask what makes them different. The fillings inside consist of various vegetables such as fresh cilantro, cabbage, green onions and red onions. Additionally, they are topped off with aromatic seasonings such as ginger and garlic paste, coriander, cumin, chili powder and mixed throughout to ensure consistent flavor in each bite. This rare mixture of vegetables and seasonings inside the steamed momos provide a burst of unique flavors. Another thing that makes Nepali momos different from other Asian dumplings is the complimentary “secret sauces” that comes with it. Our momos are served with a blended mix of two different sauces, spicy tomato and cilantro.
Every single momo is handcrafted one by one, which means that they meet our personal high-quality standards. Hand wrapping momos is really a team effort, which requires all hands on deck. Momos are a very delicate product to make and requires a unique skill that only comes with a lot of practice and focus. The hand-making aspect of this entire process is something that we take a lot of pride in and something that we consistently deliver to each and every single one of our customers.
Momo Shack was inspired by a recent trip by one of our team members, Leezen. Since moving from Nepal, he only been back once at the age of 12. Last year was the first time he went back after 14 years and he immediately fell in love all over again with the people, culture, history, landmarks, food and lifestyle. This has been one of the biggest inspirations behind Momo Shack.
The main takeaways we want our customers to see relate to the following:
Quality of the food and taste – our secret is a family recipe has been passed down from many generations, so what we serve is very authentic and genuine.
The time and effort put into each momo – each momo is hand wrapped carefully from scratch. The process starts from chopping up the veggies, mincing the meat, mixing everything together with different aromatic seasonings and ends with hand wrapping each momo and steaming them to perfection. The entire team is heavily involved in this process to ensure what we are offering meets our standards.
The service – today, Momo Shack is not only a representation of authentic Nepali food, it also stands for the “Momo Shack culture”. We strive to share positive vibes and create an energetic engaging environment for everyone, customers and eventgoers.
For us, it’s more than just selling dumplings. It’s about creating an environment and genuine human interactions with everyone who is nice enough to stop and ask “What is a momo?”
Choosing a creative or artistic path comes with many financial challenges. Any advice for those struggling to focus on their artwork due to financial concerns?
As a small business that’s been operating for only 6 months, managing finances is always an overwhelming task. With the initial investments, finances can be tough to control but our long term vision is what keeps us going and keeps us motivated.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
We are a Dallas based pop-up that participates in events around the DFW Metroplex.
You can catch us at the Dallas Farmers Market on select Saturdays and other events with local restaurants/business.
For the latest event information and catering/online orders, please go to our website at www.momoshackdumplings.com.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.momoshackdumplings.com
- Email: momoshackdumplings@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/momoshackdumplings
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/momoshackhimalayandumplings
Image Credit:
Pics 2 and 3 – @foodwithmonica
Pics 5 and 6 – @still_hungry_dallas
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