The late 1980s saw a small group of Nepalese make a new life in Vancouver. What began as a migration of highly skilled professionals is now expanding to include young students, entrepreneurs and those looking for a different kind of lifestyle.

Manager Pradeep Sharma holds a menu from Café Kathmandu | Photo by Alison Chiang

Pradeep Sharma and Khem Dahal share how the Nepalese community has grown and what to expect next. Both men have a shared interest in bringing the Nepalese community and those interested in Nepalese culture closer together in a fun and supportive setting.

Café gathering

The smell of spices fills the air as Pradeep Sharma, manager of Café Kathmandu, takes occasional breaks to step into the kitchen and check on the momos, dumplings with spice-infused meat in chutney sauce.

“Nepalese food is friendly to the body with simple and nice ingredients,” says Sharma, 31.

Pointing to the large photographs that grace the walls of the restaurant, Sharma explains they were brought in from his native country.

“Nepal is considered the Switzerland of Asia,” says Sharma, who adds that, despite its small size, Nepal boasts 15–20 dialects besides the main language of Nepali and many ethnicities.

Sharma, who moved to Canada as an international student in 2004, says he was the first Nepalese student at the University of New Brunswick, where he studied computer science. After a short stay in Toronto, he moved to Vancouver in 2006 for the ‘beautiful weather’ and to be closer to his friends.

Café Kathmandu opened its doors in 2006 when founder and family friend Abi Sharma decided to bring the Nepalese people all together in one place, explains Sharma.

“In the beginning, all the Nepalese people in Vancouver would always meet at Café Kathmandu – as a place of fun, food and networking,” says Sharma.

Today, Nepalese and non-Nepalese gather at the restaurant and Sharma says he is happy that a quick internet search lists Café Kathmandu as the first result for Nepalese food in the city – with positive reviews as well. Sharma would like to see the café eventually offer a lunch menu and continue to support the Nepalese community through social events and charitable causes.

A change in the Nepalese scene

For Khem Dahal, president of the Nepal Cultural Society of BC, Sharma is an example of a new generation of Nepalese people in the city finding success as entrepreneurs.

“The second generation – our children – are doing great. They’re finding good jobs and making their lives here. I feel proud,” says Dahal, 55.

When the Nepalese started arriving in Vancouver in the 1980s – “It was just a handful of families,” says Dahal who came to Canada in 2001.

According to Dahal, who was a teacher in Nepal, the country’s political instability in the 1990s compelled more families to move to Canada and ninety nine per cent of them were professionals: engineers, teachers and nurses.

Many immigrants who came to Vancouver in the 1980s were able to find jobs in their fields, says Dahal. Additionally, some Nepalese moved to Vancouver for a job after they completed their studies at American or Canadian universities.

“By the mid-90s, we realized there was a need for an organization and we wanted to help each other. This led to the Nepal Cultural Society of BC,” says Dahal.

In 1999, the society registered under the BC Society Act with 500 members and has now grown to around 1200.

“The main goal of the society is to preserve Nepalese heritage and celebrate cultural festivals such as the Nepalese New Year in mid-April and to showcase our culture at the annual Surrey Fusion Festival in July,” says Dahal.

Dahal says it is also a society which helps new Nepalese find their footing in a new country.

“Yes, the number of students is growing…we can see that at UBC and SFU but there’s also a different group of Nepalese coming to Vancouver,” says Dahal.

This group is no longer highly skilled but consists of people who “have a big dream to make money and some of them don’t even find a job,” says Dahal.

They come under the temporary working visa program and can stay for up to two years, says Dahal. Sometimes, these workers try to stay illegally after their visa expires and shy away from help because of language and cultural barriers.

“We’re trying our best to help them and we don’t want to do it illegally but in a right way. We want people to connect with us and the society and help them build a better life,” says Dahal.

Sharma agrees that it is important to bring the Nepalese people together – while introducing his culture to non-Nepalese.

“People bring people [to Café Kathmandu], we want to engage with the community,” says Sharma.

For more information,
please visit www.ncsbc.org and
www.cafekathmandu.com