At Little Tibet, we took a few minutes to interview the chef of the restaurant, a woman named Tenzin Che Ni, to find out some more about Tibetan food and the culture found in a Tibetan restaurant in New York City.
Amit : First of all, we really like the food, and the restaurant. It’s the first time we have been in Jackson Heights area, and it has been a very nice experience so far. We are taking a class om Tibet culture and the Tibet civilization. First of all, what is your name?
Tenzin Che Ni: My name is Tenzin Che Ni.
Jack: Nice to meet you. We have a few questions prepared for you about Tibetan food and culture. To begin, where are you from?
Tenzin Che Ni: I am originally from Tibet, but was born in India. My parents fled to India after 1959 when China occupied Tibet. My parents weren’t married then, and were very young, but they fled to India and that’s where I was born.
Amit: In terms of food what is your favorite dish to make?
Tenzin Che Ni: To make? I’m not sure, but as a kid I always enjoyed a traditional dish which is called Phingsha. It’s braised beef with vermicelli noodles in it and it has black dried mushrooms. That’s one of my favorites.
Jack: And in your perspective, what is the most Tibetan dish that you serve in the restaurant? If you have something in mind that is particularly Tibetan.
Tenzin Che Ni: I would say the dish I just mentioned and of course, Momos. The dish you just tried. It can be… Traditionally it’s beef Momos, but of course differe
nt tastes… Momos have evolved. You can do chicken, veggie, and everything.
Amit: So, in terms of people coming to the restaurant, are there any tourists?
Tenzin Che Ni: Yes a lot of them actually. One of our friends is a tour guide in Queens, so he brings in a lot of people from different parts of the U.S. Usually it’s from the U.S., but we’ve had a few international people from Australia and Japan. He has a website where people contact him to have a tour.
Amit: What’s his name?
Tenzin Che Ni: His name is Jeff Orleck. He’s very popular and he does the annual Momo crawl. It’s a
lmost like a Momo festival where all the restaurants they compete in the best Momo, and we won this year. You see the trophy up on the wall? She showed us the trophy and apologetically rushed back into the kitchen, as the restaurant was very busy during that time. We were impressed with the trophy and with the overall experience that the restaurant provides. From the food, environment, design of the space, and of Tenzin herself, everything was exceptional.
Little Tibet: 72-19 Roosevelt Ave, Jackson Heights, NY 11372
Jeff Orleck TOUR: http://iwantmorefood.com