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Dear Valued Guests,

Thank you for visiting Everest Café & Bar. Many of you have asked, “Devi, why are you still going to school and running a restaurant?” After all, I already hold several advanced degrees. Today, I want to share something deeply personal with you, because the answer is about more than academics. My answer is simple, because education gave me back my dignity, my confidence, and my voice. I don’t learn to impress. I learn to serve. I learn to lead with the purpose of lifting others the way I was once lifted. I learn not to be better than others, but to be better for others.

 

My Story

I was once homeless on the streets of Kathmandu. For nearly two years, I slept on the sidewalks. No food. No shelter. No family. I was invisible and forgotten. But I had one thing: a dream to go to school not just to survive, but to rise and help others rise too. Eventually, I found work as a dishwasher at the KC restaurant in Thamel. It wasn’t much, but to me, it gave me hope. It was a chance to stand on my own feet.

 

Then came a “Miracle”. One day, while working at that restaurant, I met Dr. James States, an American physician who had just climbed Mount Everest in 1983. In an incredible act of compassion, he saw something in me and gave me a second chance in life. He brought me to the United States. That moment changed everything. I started over with nothing but hope in my heart and a fire in my soul. I worked hard. I failed sometimes. But I never gave up. Today, I am completing my third doctorate, this time in Leadership and Learning in Organizations at Vanderbilt University.

 

Why I Founded Everest Café & Bar

To serve more than food to serve a mission of promoting a healthy lifestyle:

✓ Because heart disease, stroke, and diabetes are killing our community.

✓ Because food is medicine.

✓ Because our mission is to serve fresh, heart-healthy, nutritious meals that promote a healthy lifestyle.

 

Why I Founded the Himalayan Family Healthcare Project (HFHCP)

✓ To deliver healthcare and education to forgotten villages in Nepal

✓ Because no child should grow up without care

✓ Because no one should feel unseen

 

My Message to You

If a homeless boy from the street of Kathmandu can become a doctor, business owner, a leader, and a dreamer, then you can too. Never stop learning. Never stop serving. Never stop dreaming. Be someone’s “Miracle”.

 

From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

Because your support, I’ve been able to complete my dream of serving those who are poor and suffering—just as I once was. Thank you for walking on this journey with me.  For more information about our medical and educational mission in Nepal, please visit us @