The Kirkcaldy husband-and-wife team behind Choola won the judges’ choice award at the British Street Food Awards.
Ameer and Nicole Limbu set up their street food business at the end of last year, but only started trading at markets at the end of May.
Quickly making a name for themselves, Choola was crowned joint winners at the Scottish Street Food Awards in July.
Competing against street food vendors from across the UK in London, the couple took home the judges’ choice award. They’ll now represent the UK at the European Street Food Awards in Germany next month.
Nicole says they are over the moon at the unexpected result.
“It’s been a rollercoaster few months and we’re really grateful for these opportunities,” she says.
“All the traders were amazing and their food was such a high standard, so the announcement was definitely a surprise.
“It looks like we better start learning some German!”
What’s on Choola’s menu?
With street food on the rise, but no Scottish vendors serving Ameer’s native Nepalese cuisine, the duo decided to fill the gap in the market.
In a portable truck rather than a restaurant, Ameer and Nicole can travel to markets and festivals with their unique offering.
Ameer says: “Because Nepal’s situated right in between India and China – huge powerhouses in everything cuisine – it’s almost a mix of both.
“We have influences from China, other parts of Asia and India particularly.
“We use different spices and spice levels to both. It’s like an amalgamation, they come together and we take what we want.
“There are also very traditional dishes and flavours which are uniquely Nepalese and you won’t find anywhere else, such as the aloo dum and buffalo curry on our menu.”
Aloo dum is a traditional spiced tomato and sesame potato dish with fried bread while Choola’s pork and saag curry is made with meat from Balcaskie Estate.
The star of their menu are momos – Nepalese dumplings filled with pork, cabbage and onion served with sauce.
Another favourite is the buffalo curry, made with meat from The Buffalo Farm outside Kirkcaldy. The signature pork dumplings and buffalo curry were both on the menu in London.
Popular Choola dishes include aloo dum, a traditional spiced tomato and sesame potato dish with fried bread, and pork and saag curry, made with meat from Balcaskie Estate.
Nicole says: “This is the food Ameer grew up with in Nepal and he loves cooking.
“There was definitely a gap to bring our food to the masses, and this is an exciting way to do it instead of a normal restaurant.”
Childhood memories of cooking
As a child, Ameer spent a lot of time with his mum and aunties in the kitchen. Sometimes getting in the way, but quickly learning and helping out.
Massive meals and feasts are a staple of Nepalese community, with gatherings revolving around food.
At 10-years-old, the family moved to the UK because of his dad’s job in the British Army. Three years later, they moved up to Scotland and thought it was so beautiful they decided to stay.
With a close-knit Nepalese and Ghurka community, cooking and eating big feasts continued.
The 34-year-old chef says: “Food has always been my passion. I know it’s quite cliche, but I’ve grown up with it.
“My mum is such a good cook, half my recipes I’ve learnt from her. She’s been a massive influence on me and my food.”
Ameer never planned to work as a chef. He went to university to study bioscience, and that’s where he met Nicole.
Growing up in Glenrothes, she had never tried Nepalese food before meeting Ameer. Even after five years of marriage, the former brand manager is still getting used to family dinners.
“You’ll never leave a Nepalese household hungry,” says the 31-year-old.
“I still forget sometimes, we’ll go to someone’s house to eat and forget it’s just a starter I’m eating and scoff a big plate of food.”
Plans for Choola restaurant
It’s been a “pretty crazy” year so far for Choola, and a whirlwind of a summer with markets and awards.
With 14 hour workdays and traveling around, the business is growing faster than anticipated.
Ameer says: “We didn’t really plan all this for this year. Everything is happening quite fast and we’re just trying to keep our heads above the water.
“But we’re managing so far and I don’t think we’ve had an argument yet.
Nicole adds: “Which is pretty impressive when you live and work together 24 hours a day!”
In the long run, the plan is to open a Choola restaurant and set up their base there.
As the business grows, the couple plan to help local charities and causes as much as they can because of how important community is in Nepal. Currently, Choola donates to its local foodbank in Kirkcaldy.
Nicole says: “Hopefully when we get a brick and mortar place, we’ve got a loyal customer base and it’s a great success.
“The first year we said we’ll see what happens, what events we get into and how it goes, and take it from there.
“It’s exciting, we’re learning every day.”
