Krishna Bashyal came from Nepal with a head full of flavors and a dream. He saw a chance to make his mark in Texarkana by introducing food that had not yet been represented locally.
Bashyal recently opened Himalayan Curry-A Taste of India at Central Mall in the space previously occupied by Corn Dog 7.
"I had been in the restaurant business in Nepal up to 2003, so I had a chance to really learn a lot about cooking in the region. Nepal and India share similar tastes and recipes," Bashyal said.
When Bashyal finally got the chance to bring his family to the U.S., he first saved his money in another business.
"We first owned and ran a gas station in Astoria, Texas," Bashyal said. "We saved our money and got ready for the next step."
That step was restaurant ownership, bringing the tastes of India and Nepal to Texarkana. Bashyal describes his space at Central Mall as the perfect spot to introduce his business to the area.
"I had wanted to do this for a long while, and now I finally did it," he said, "It is easy to advertise here and the walk-in crowd walks right by my place."
Bashyal has been pleased with the reaction of Texarkanians to his cuisine so far.
"They are excited, interested and truly like the food," he said.
Indian food has a reputation for lots of spice, but Bashyal assures customers his dishes are mild.
"Everything is mild," he said. "We can heat things up with special orders, but for those who are worried about this being too spicy for them, we have made everything mild so they can enjoy the flavor."