In 2007, when Ateet Shrestha came to Australia from Nepal as an international student, he was like many fellow compatriots hoping to gain skills in commercial cookery.
The qualification was listed in the federal government’s “skilled occupation list” used to provide a pathway to Australia’s permanent residency to skilled migrants.
However, in 2015, when Shrestha was granted permanent residency, he decided to leave it all behind and head back to Nepal.
A decision his family and friends still criticise him for.
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“It’s been three years, and I still receive negative reaction”, he told SBS Nepali.
“Many say, why did you leave everything and come back when you can see what things are like here?”
For Ateet, the answer to this question is straightforward.
“I felt I was missing out on inner satisfaction. The feelings I wanted to express, I felt I could only find it at home in Nepal.”
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Life in Sydney
Ateet spent most of his life in the southwestern Sydney suburbs of Auburn, Campsie and Rockdale, suburbs with the highest number of Nepalis in Australia.
He describes his experiences here as ‘fun’ and ‘pleasant’.
“I could do what I wanted, and there was no shortage of any services,” he says.
He was always interested in the hospitality industry but was never particular about taking up cookery.
But that started to change once he started his course at TAFE and his passion for the profession developed.
He is glad he continued, despite facing difficulties as an international student. In his class of 14 students, only he and his peer from China are still working as Chefs.
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With many migrants being underemployed or working in the area they did not train for, he counts himself lucky to be able to get a job as a chef in a Sydney restaurant, cooking ‘modern Australian’ dishes.
Lessons from Australia
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But despite the professional skills he was gaining by working in a variety of restaurants, Ateet Shrestha felt he lacked inner satisfaction.
He knew he could achieve more personal success, but ideas about returning to Nepal began to take hold in his mind.
“There was no shortage of anything here, but I wanted to express myself from what I learnt, and that is why I decided to return to Nepal,” he says.
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Australia’s multiculturalism has helped Ateet in many ways, which he says may not have been possible if he hadn’t come here.
The main thing for him was learning about various cuisines found in Australia.
“I got to learn something from various cultures, including Asian, European and American. While working with local chefs, I also learnt a lot of local traditions and their lifestyle,” he says.
Motorcycle club and café
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While in Australia, Ateet also started a motorcycle club called BikerzAus Nepal with some of his like-minded friends in Sydney.
“The freedom I feel after going on a bike ride is extraordinary,” he says.
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“Everyone used to tell me not to ride bikes in Australia because it could be risky. I used to tell myself, everything is risky, living is risky, and going for a walk is risky.”
He didn’t want such risks to stop himself. A tradition he has incorporated in his café after returning to Nepal.
Shrestha opened “Genesis Café by BikerzAus Nepal” in the capital Kathmandu, where he also works as a chef.
Australia’s diverse food culture inspired him to do something similar in Nepal.
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“There are many countries that are popular for their food like Italy and France, so why can’t Nepal be known for food”, he asks.
His passion for bikes now takes him to remote parts of Nepal, where he learns about local food and recreates them at his café.
Return to Australia?
Despite having “plenty of reasons” to pack up and leave, Ateet Shrestha says he has no plans so far to return to Australia.
“There are plenty of reasons to be discouraged here – from government bureaucracy to local thinking – everything can be challenging.”
“But I try and encourage myself about what I set out to achieve. You don’t succeed overnight, so you have to keep working to fulfil your dreams,” he told SBS Nepali.
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