Aama Nepalese Cuisine plans to serve up a special and delicious celebration for the community with their inaugural Momo Festival on Aug. 27.
From noon to 4 p.m., residents are invited to Mountain Ridge Plaza in Heritage Hills for family festivities and the chance to taste their famous Nepalese dumplings, better known as momos.
Owners of Aama’s, chef Gyanendra, better known as Chef G, and Tara Poudel said the event will feature activities for kids, live music, door prizes, and most importantly the delicious momos that Aama’s is best known for.
“These are just yummy little bite-sized wraps filled with yak, chicken, goat, pork, veggies, cheese, paneer, and anything you can make,” Poutel said. “We are going to bring all varieties of momos on that day, just have fun, and eat lots of momos.”
The goal of the festival is to thank the community for the great support they received as new business owners in Cochrane.
“We were 9 to 5 job people, and suddenly after the pandemic, we have this restaurant and it’s just been an amazing journey so far,” Poudel said.
Poudel said the festival also gives them the chance to interact with the community. With their hands full operating the local hotspot on a 24/7 basis, she said the celebration will allow them to connect with the locals on a more personal level.
“Aama really wants to stand for a couple of things that we hold very close to our heart,” Poudel said. “It’s the culture and the heritage we are sharing through the food, community building that happens in all cultures around the world.
“. . .We are here to serve, and share our gratitude with the rest of the world.”
The festival will also host Mayor Jeff Genung as a special guest, and he plans to share a few words with the community. He will also pull out the winning draw for Momothon, a special event by Aama’s that will give one winner an all expenses paid trip to the Mount Everest base camp in Nepal.
“Whoever wins will have 12 months to redeem the prize, because it is halfway around the world, . . . we will not ask you to immediately pack your bags and leave the next day,” Poudel said.
She added that itinerary of the trip will be custom-made for the winner. In the event they may be unable to make the trip to the Mount Everest base camp due to health or physical reasons, the winner will be able to partake in alternative cultural-based activities in Nepal.
“As soon as we know who the winner is, we will start working on that with them,” Poudel said.
Poudel said there are only two weeks left before the draw and those interested in participating can get an entry by ordering momos from Aama’s or by purchasing Momothon swag.
Both Poudel and Chef G would like to give a special shoutout to their staff for fully embracing their work, alongside Nepalese culture and cuisine.
“They really put in the effort to learn more about the culture and the food, and especially us as a family and how we get things done, because everyone does things differently,” Poudel said. “They are a very cooperative, hardworking and dedicated team, and we are very blessed to have them.”
They would also like to extend thanks to their parents for their continued support in perfecting their craft.
“Last but not the least, we want to thank the community that has come together to make Aama a success,” Poudel said. “Thank you.”
