Real Impact.
Real Success.

Ratna Subba is the owner of the food truck Darjeeling Momo. He has an infectious smile and makes you feel at ease the moment you’re around him. He was born in Bhutan but fled from the country to Nepal with his mother and sisters in 1992 when he was 7. Like many other refugees from Bhutan, he lived for nearly 20 years in refugee camps in Nepal. His ancestors built roads from Nepal to Bhutan but stayed in Bhutan.

Starting over in Idaho

When he first came to Idaho, Ratna worked at Momo Dumplings restaurant in Meridian. But when the owners returned to Nepal to help family after the earthquake of 2015, he was left without a job. With the help of his family and EO, Ratna bought a food truck. He parks it at events in the spring, summer and fall and posts the location on his Facebook page.

Through EO, Ratna took a business class and a culinary class, both of which gave him lots of great ideas, he says. “They helped me hone my skills and talents and connect with consumers,” Ratna says.

Fighting for his rights

Subba’s group, ethnic Nepalis called Lhotshampa, lived in Bhutan since the early 1900s. In the 1980s, however, the Bhutanese government changed the definition of their citizenship to exclude Lhotshampas and required them to assimilate into Buddhist culture, including using the majority language and adopting the way most of the country dressed.

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