HIMALAYA CULINARY SCHOOL

Thanks to Albert Nurick for many of the photos.

Culinary Education Institute - Houston, TX

by Chef Kaiser Lashkari
Educator | Restaurateur | Keynote Speaker | Indo-Pak Consultant | Competitor | Gastro-Judge

Chef Kaiser Lashkari earned his master’s degree from the University of Houston’s Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management in 1989. After working for Westin Hotels and teaching at Houston Community College, he opened Kaiser Restaurant and Catering in 1993.

Then, in 2004, he started Himalaya on Hillcroft Ave, also known as the Mahatma Gandhi District.

Making delicious meals from fresh ingredients is Lashkari’s passion. He was a James Beard Semi-Finalist in 2019. In addition, Himalaya was rated No. 9 number nine in food critic Alison Cook’s “Top 100 Houston Restaurants” list, and has placed in the top 15 in previous years.

2026 sees the Grand Opening of the Himalaya Culinary School where Chef Kaiser will pass on decades of knowledge, experience, tips, tricks and tastes of his Indo-Pak journey to students wishing to to become more versed in:

• Cooking as a career

• Catering

• Extending their home-cook repertoire

Rising soon in Sugar Land, just off Hwy 59 near the Grand Parkway, Lashkari’s new cooking school invites students to enroll in a focused, eight-week course in Indian cuisine, each Saturday and Sunday from 9am-12 noon. Over the span of those weekly sessions, participants will progress from understanding how to source and handle spices to mastering hallmark dishes, culminating in learning signature favorites such as chicken hara masala.

In addition to teaching cooking skills, Lashkari envisions the school as a vehicle for giving back. He plans to donate a percentage of the proceeds to local nonprofits that fight hunger in Houston, including Star of Hope and the Houston Food Bank. He already supports these groups financially, and he’s long had a quiet practice of offering complimentary meals to people who come to his restaurant in need of something to eat.

HISTORY

When Anthony Bourdain visited Houston in 2016 to film an episode of “Parts Unknown,” Himalaya took center stage.

Bourdain dined on green curry chicken, steak tikka and an Indian-style pastrami — a few of Lashkari’s unique creations, inspired by his time in Pakistan and in Texas.

The chef enjoys riffing on Mexican, Indian, Pakistani and Texan flavors.

“It’s Indo-Tex,” Lashkari said. “We have a steak that’s our take on a fajita. We have green chicken curry that’s our salsa verde. We have chicken fried chicken and brisket.”

There’s even HFC, or Himalaya fried chicken, made the “Southern way” but with Indian spices. The Keema, or ground lamb cooked in a masala sauce, is described on the menu as a dish that “closely resembles Texas chili.”

Traditional desserts are joined by a mango tres leches and an almond custard that is like flan with a twist.

Chef Kaiser was a James Beard Semi-Finalist in 2019, and Himalaya was rated No. 9 in the Houston Chronicle’s “Top 100 Houston Restaurants” list, and has placed in the top 15 in previous years. He can be found most often in Himalaya’s kitchen when he is not out greeting guests.