Roshan Kumar's path to becoming a successful restaurateur began with a leap of faith. He left his modest family home in Nepal as a young student bound for Idaho State University in Pocatello. Armed with little more than hope, courage, and a few snacks from home (which the airline promptly lost), Kumar arrived to find the university cafeteria closed and himself navigating an entirely unfamiliar food landscape. Today, Kumar owns three Himalayan Flavor restaurants across Utah and Idaho—in Logan, Idaho Falls, and Pocatello. They serve the authentic South Asian cuisine he once desperately missed as a homesick student. He's also the founder of Lift Lives Today, a nonprofit organization dedicated to giving back to the communities that supported his unlikely journey from international student to entrepreneur.
In this conversation, Kumar reflects on the obstacles that shaped him, the mistakes that taught him, and why he chose to build his dream in small mountain towns rather than chasing opportunity elsewhere.
Michael Strickland teaches at Boise State University and studies at Idaho State University. He is the publisher of youngpeoplespavilion.com, a site that offers classroom recommendations for children’s and young adult books, along with discussions about teaching and learning.