If you are currently or have been a resident at McCormick, you may not recognize Rabindra, but chances are, you know his food. Hailing from the Eastern region of Nepal, Rabindra didn’t have any professional culinary experience before immigrating to the United States, but nevertheless, he found his way to Bon Appétit in 2007, and has stayed with the company ever since.
Although Rabindra openly acknowledges that his wife is the true family culinary talent, he has greatly impacted the diversity of offerings at MIT thanks to his own knowledge and experience of Nepali cuisine. Starting as a dishwasher, Rabindra’s managers were quick to realize his potential. Within just a few years, he had graduated from cleaning duty to a cook role where he was responsible for feeding hundreds of students. A very task-oriented man, Rabindra prefers to work back of house (BOH), methodologically preparing ingredients based on intuition. Although he doesn’t frequent the service line, feedback often makes its way back to Rabindra via student comments and empty trays. Prior to the pandemic, every Tuesday was Nepali Night at McCormick and Rabindra would take control of the menu featuring items like roasted cauliflower (a fan favorite), chicken biryani, and pulao. At the time, students had the freedom to roam from house to house and Rabindra recounts serving almost double McCormick’s residential body on Tuesday nights, students filling their plates to the brim with his food.
When it comes to Nepalese cuisine, culture and religion also play a large role in what is produced in the kitchen. Depending on the region of Nepal and one’s religious background, certain ingredients like pork or chicken may be prohibited for consumption, but two popular and universal sources of meat throughout the country are buffalo and goat. With the help of fresh, whole spices, Rabindra will be highlighting goat, a somewhat foreign protein to many American eaters, in curry form, alongside a complete Nepali menu to revitalize the old and coveted practice of Tuesday Nepali Nights. Although he turns down the heat a bit for student palates, Rabindra’s menu will be an interlude to normal dining fare that you don’t want to miss.