A Taste of Afghanistan in Winooski
When you walk into Bamyan Kebab House, on the corner of Winooski Falls Way and Cascade Way, you will see tables set with placemats and coasters, and you might get a peek into the kitchen, where a cook stands over a steaming pan.
Image courtesy of Bamyan Kebab House website.
I was new to the restaurant on a recent Tuesday afternoon when I sat down to ponder the menu, which is full of kebabs and other Afghan dishes. Awran Hashimi, the owner, who grew up in Afghanistan and moved to the U.S. as a young scholar, recommended that I try the chicken curry.
Soon, the dish appeared. The Afghan Basmati rice had pepper, sea salt, green cardamom pods, and cumin seeds. I immediately added the rice to the creamy and savory curry sauce. The chicken fell apart in my mouth, and the combination of rice, curry, and chicken, made me fall in love with a new type of food.
Hashimi told me he is determined to be successful and recently opened his second business, Ariana Natural Market, in Five Corners, Essex Junction. He says that part of his motivation is to inspire immigrants and locals who want to start a business in Vermont.
Please tell me a little about yourself and your business.
I came to the U.S. in 2011 as a Make a Difference scholar and then I started college. After graduating in 2014, I went to the University of Denver and did my MBA and also a double major in strategic management. My first time coming to the U.S. was in Vermont so I decided to open a business here—the first Afghan restaurant in Vermont.
Why did you name your restaurant Bamyan and what does the name mean to you?
The restaurant is my birthplace, a province in Afghanistan called Bamyan. It’s a historical sight in Afghanistan and one of the places recognized by UNESCO, which registers ancient cities in the United Nations. It’s an important part of the world, so I thought it was a good idea.
What signature dishes or kebabs do you recommend trying?
It is a traditional restaurant and we are trying to make pure Afghan foods like Kebabs or Polow, to also introduce Afghan culture here in Vermont. We have different kinds of kebabs and not only kebab foods. One of the famous foods this restaurant serves is called Kudiba Kebab. Another food people in Afghanistan like to eat together is called Kabul, it is the name of the capital of Afghanistan.
What dish are you most proud of here?
I am not a chef, but I like Kurma Chelo which isn’t a kebab. We have Tika kebab which is lamb, chicken kebab, chicken Kubida, lamb Kubida, lamb chops, so it depends on what you want.
Can you tell me more about your background and expertise in Afghan cuisine?
I don’t have personal experience cooking or working in a restaurant in the past but some of my relatives in Afghanistan have been working in restaurants since I was a kid. So, I’m familiar with the food and I know what food is good and how it tastes. I hired fellow immigrants who knew how to cook Afghan food.
There is no Afghan or Persian restaurant in Vermont so I decided to open. We have a lot of Afghan immigrants and a lot of immigrants from Persia. So, they can come together and have a spot to eat or celebrate some of the occasions that they respect.
What inspired you to open in Winooski rather than any other town?
One thing that is good about Winooski is that you can find people from all different cultures here. I have a customer who comes in here and says the town feels more like the United Nations now. We have Afghan, Iranian, Moroccan people and from African countries. It’s a small city and you can easily communicate and build connections with people here.
What is one piece of advice you could give to others wanting to open a restaurant here in Vermont?
Vermont is a great place to start a small business. It’s unlike New York City or Boston, where the rent is high, and competition here is not as high as in big cities. People are more supportive of local businesses here. You can easily connect with resources like agencies that support small businesses. So, you can be more successful in Vermont. It’s about your determination, your skills, and your familiarity with the area and the people.
Drew Richard is a junior at Saint Michael’s College where he plays on the men’s soccer team.