Kaiser Lashkari is ready to reveal his secrets — at least the ones behind the signature dishes at Himalaya, his award-winning restaurant in the Ghandi District.
Lashkari, together with his wife and business partner Azra, will celebrate 20 years of their iconic Indo-Pak restaurant on February 20. At around the same time, the chef will throw open the doors to Himalaya Culinary School, a new venture dedicated to sharing his knowledge with both amateur and professional chefs.
“I think I have achieved everything that I needed to achieve at this restaurant,” Lashkari tells CultureMap. “Now it’s time to pass the legacy on. People have asked me for years to give my recipes, to start cooking classes.”
By any measure, Himalaya has achieved a great deal since the Lashkaris opened their establishment in a former Mexican restaurant at the intersection of the Southwest Freeway and Hillcroft. Featured on TV by both Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern, Himalaya won Restaurant of the Year in the 2020 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards for Lashkari’s fusion-influenced take on Indo-Pak fare. GQ named Himalaya and Hugo’s to its list of 22 “new classics” in 2019. Lashkari earned a James Beard Award semifinalist nomination for Best Chef: Southwest in 2019.
All of which is to say that many Houstonians might be interested in learning how to cook like Lashkari does. They’ll get that opportunity at Himalaya Cooking School.
Himalaya Culinary School will open next year.Courtesy of Kaiser Lashkari
Currently under construction in Sugar Land near the intersection of Hwy 59 and the Grand Parkway, Lashkari intends for students at the cooking school to commit to a dedicated series of eight weekly classes that will introduce them to the fundamentals of Indian cooking. The sequence will begin with learning how to purchase and prepare spices and end with learning the recipes to signature recipes like chicken hara masala.
“Teaching one course at a time is like shooting in the dark. You have no understanding of the food,” Lashkari says. Later, he adds, “I need a solid commitment from people. I want serious people who can say ‘this man taught me something.’”
Over time, he may introduce more advanced courses or tracks designed for professional chefs. Prices will be approximately $50 per session.
Lashkari says he’s not concerned about people learning his secrets. From his perspective, Himalaya has achieved sufficient success that the time has come to pass these recipes on to others.
“I’m at a stage in my life where I have to share my knowledge. If you would have asked me even two years ago, I would have given you a roundabout answer,” he says. “I’m so secure. Twenty years is a big achievement.”
Beyond sharing his culinary knowledge, the chef intends for the school to have a charitable component. He intends to donate 50-percent of the school's proceeds to organizations that feed Houston’s hungry such as Star of Hope and the Houston Food Bank. Lashkari says he makes donations to those organizations already. He’s also been known to give free meals to people who show up at his restaurant looking for something to eat.
That combination of sharing knowledge and giving back helps explain why Lashkari has chosen this — rather than another restaurant — for his next project.
“I’m close to retirement. The more noble thing to do, I think, is to have a school where you teach your skills and take forward what you have learned over the years,” he says.
“It is open to everybody. Whoever wants to come in and learn will learn.”
