Pawan Sherpa and his wife, Dawa, are serving up a taste of Nepali food and culture, along with a few Northwest spins, at the Wild Berry Restaurant outside Ashford.

Along with offerings such as burgers and berry pies, the couple is expanding the menu to include Himalayan dishes, including momos and yak stew.

Eric Simonson is certainly familiar with the food of Nepal. the famed mountaineer and co-owner of Ashford-based International Mountain Guides, he has been leading expeditions to Mount Everest since 1982.

“It is a nice change of pace for the Ashford valley. There is not much in the way of ethnic food in the valley,” Simonson said of the Wild Berry’s offerings.

“I thought it was similar to what you find in Kathmandu. They even had some items that our cooks will make at (Mount Everest) base camp, like Sherpa stew, momos, curry dishes.”

Pawan and Dawa not only know about the mountain tourism industry, they lived it for 15 years as owners of the North Face Resort in Lukla, Nepal. Pawan would lead guests on treks to 18,500-foot Kalapathar, near the Mount Everest base camp.

The profession came calling again when they arrived in the United States in 2007. the couple spent a year in the kitchen at Copper Creek Inn, also near Ashford. Dawa worked as a cook, while Pawan toiled over the bakery.

Those experiences gave the couple the confidence to purchase and reopen the Wild Berry last September.

Flash forward to now: the couple has had six months’ experience running the eatery from Fridays through Sundays. those opening months helped prepare them for the summer rush, when nearly 400,000 visitors will travel past the restaurant en route to Mount Rainier National Park’s busiest entrance. during that time, they’ve created a restaurant and menu that reflects their culture. Visitors will find traditional Sherpa prayer flags on the exterior of the restaurant. on the inside, copper dishes adorn tables and banners typically found in a Sherpa home are on display.

“Sherpas are more than high-altitude porters. we have our own culture,” Pawan Sherpa said. “A lot of people don’t understand that. That’s why I want to introduce the culture.”

The cultural introduction extends beyond decor. the family – their daughter Sonam works as hostess/waitress – also is introducing Sherpa cuisine to hungry park visitors and locals.

They have been serving Sherpa food since opening, but will offer more items when the introduce a new menu in April.

The food trends adventurous – just like the clientele.

“I understand who is coming to visit Mount Rainier, especially the people coming from another state or country,” Pawan said. “Those travelers like to try different food.”

A TASTE OF NEPAL

Among the most popular items served so far are momos, Nepali style dumplings with a meat or vegetable filling that includes cumin and coriander. Similar in look to potstickers or gyoza, momos are cooked by steaming.

“I had those the first time I was there. those were good,” said Tanna Osterhaus, owner of nearby Jasmer’s Guest House & Cabins.

Another offering has been Sherpa stew. It’s a combination of beef or yak, seasonal vegetables, garlic and ginger all mixed in a thick gravy. Small strips of dough – more dumpling than noodle – are dropped into the stew.

The restaurant also offers a Nepali twist on dessert.

“Our rice pudding is different than anything I’ve seen elsewhere,” Pawan said.

“We put in some spices, cinnamon and coriander, to give it a different taste.”

Osterhaus also recommends the three-berry cobbler, a dish that is a favorite in the Northwest.

“That’s excellent. Everyone’s famous for their pie up here,” she said.

Pawan, the man behind the bakery, learned all about pies from his time at Copper Creek Inn. the week of July Fourth in 2008, he made most of the record 450 pies sold that week.

In addition to wild blueberry pie, Pawan said he plans to make huckleberry pies this summer.

More American offerings have already proven to be popular, such as the Summit Burger: a three-patty monster popular with climbers who have taken on the 14,411-foot high Mount Rainier.

“I’ve seen one come out. There is no way you can get that in your mouth. It’s stacked about 7 inches high,” Osterhaus said.

The Wild Berry also offers a burger with a Himalayan twist, one made with ground yak meat. while yaks in Nepal are commonly used like cattle – for milk, meat and wool – Pawan said it was difficult to get yak meat in Nepal because of Hindu beliefs against killing cattle. the restaurant gets its yak meat from Colorado.

“Compared to beef, there is less fat. when you put a beef burger on the grill, you can see the fat drip off,” Pawan said.

“If you eat just the meat, you can taste the difference. even when you put cheese and onion on a burger, you can still taste a little difference.”

The restaurant also plans to serve yak steaks. because of the lower fat content, Pawan said they will serve it with gravy.

“I know a lot of trekkers over in Nepal liked it that way,” he said.

Also new to the menu will be Nepalese style chicken and curry served with rice, which will appeal to Osterhaus.

“That way, I don’t have to go to Seattle to get that,” she said of a favorite Himalayan dish she can only find at a Capitol Hill restaurant.

SIMPLE OFFERINGS

Pawan admitted the menu will not be extensive, but that is by design.

“It’s items we know people want. They want quality and fast service, not a big menu you would find in a big city,” he said. “If people have been hiking for three hours, they’re ready for their food. Waiting 30 to 45 minutes would be too much.

“Limiting the items means you can perfect your food. if you have too many items, it’s hard to control the quality. we want to make sure people are getting good food.”

In the six months that they have been open, Pawan realizes how much easier it is to run a restaurant in the United States compared with Nepal.

There, with the lodge at 9,000 feet, many items had to be brought in on foot. All the lodge’s natural gas had to be flown in by helicopters.

“Here, you don’t have to worry about the water. even in Kathmandu, I would question the standards when we went to a restaurant.”

He’s also learned the realities of owning an eatery here, including the potential of lawsuits and small profit margins. That’s one reason he is opting to buy his ingredients from a distributor rather than local producers. he also has not had the chance to meet with local growers to see what they have to offer.

Pawan said the family and staff are ready for the summer rush. he said they plan to be open at least five days a week in April, but haven’t made a final decision when to make the switch.

Jeffrey P. Mayor: 253-597-8640

jeff.mayor@thenewstribune.com

WILDBERRY RESTAURANT

Where: 37718 state Route 706, Ashford

Phone: 360-569-2277

Hours: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fridays through Sundays. Plans to expand operations in April.

Mount Rainier-area restaurant features flavor from other side of world