Momo in Nepal, 6 January 2010; archive photograph. Photo: Kushal Goyal; colour adjustment by Hohum. CC BY-SA 3.0. Cropped and resized under the same licence.

7 Nov 2026

Nepali couple build a shared life around momo in Geneva

Shakti Karki and Abhishek Pathak describe how home cooking grew into a small restaurant and a life together in Switzerland.

Shakti Karki and Abhishek Pathak began by making momo at home and delivering them around Geneva. Now the Nepali couple have a small kitchen, a dining area and a restaurant they run together, according to a 6 November interview with The Kathmandu Post.

The business had been operating for about four months when they spoke to reporter Krishana Prasain. Pathak does the cooking, serving and deliveries; Karki helps after returning from his office job. Momo, chowmein and thukpa are among the dishes on the menu.

Their life together took shape across a long-distance relationship. Karki returned to Switzerland after they met in Nepal in 2020. Pathak later joined him, and the couple registered their marriage in Geneva. Both told the Post how their families came to accept the relationship.

Pathak learnt French and worked as a trainee in an Indian restaurant before starting the business. The couple say they used their savings. Expansion is still a plan. For now, their work is the everyday business of cooking Nepali food and persuading new customers to try it.