Momo-Ki is a small and cozy restaurant located near DC office in Dimapur. Apong Imchen who is very talented and diligent is the owner of Momo-Ki. The name Momo-Ki simply translates as House of Momo (Dumpling), where the word “Ki” in the dialect of Ao community in Nagaland means “House”. Since it is in the vicinity of many offices and a school, the restaurant has become preferred and favored place to eat for many people who commutes and stays in and around the neighborhood. Momo-Ki was officially opened on 3rd of May, 2022.

Before Momo-Ki was set up as a restaurant, it was first serving customers as a home-based kitchen since 2021, it started as a small home delivery-based business. Momo-Ki did not just happen overnight nor it was a planned project. It was around the time when the pandemic Covid-19 had spread throughout the corners and a huge number of people were faced with financial crisis as they could no longer go to work due to the total lockdown. The city was shut down completely, people were not able to have gatherings, restaurants didn’t entertain customers inside, schools and colleges were closed, daily wagers were panicking. Although the city came to a total silence, nothing was at peace as people faced with difficulties in getting hold of their daily needs, utilities and services. Despite the chaos and turmoil, the period of the pandemic outbreak actually turned out to be an icebreaker for many individuals as they discovered the ways and ideas of how they could contribute to the well-being of the society, self-sustainability and polishing one’s skills. 

 Apong Imchen, the owner started taking cooking lessons from online sources and took the initiative to open his own business. As for him, the covid-19 lockdown period turned out to be a practice mode for something that he was interested in. Cooking had always been one of his hobbies where he really put my heart in it as it had so much emotional attachment and memories imprinted on it right from his childhood. In fact, he always wanted to be a certified chef and wished to get admitted in an institute of culinary arts but his family could not afford it. He is so fortunate to be living in the era of the internet since it was the only source of learning, During the lockdown, he received enough time to watch the cooking lessons on YouTube and other social media platforms and this turned out to be fruitful. At first, he learnt how to make dumplings (momo) after watching numerous tutorials. He chose to focus in making dumplings as it is one of the most popular snacks and a delicacy in most of the towns and cities. He practiced regularly by following different recipes and ingredients and managed to create a recipe of his own which received many positive feedbacks from his friends and family. So, he decided to turn his hobby into a profession. As lockdown began to relax, he started a small venture of a home-based business where he started posting advertisement of home-made dumplings on home delivery basis. There were positive feedbacks from many customers to the point that he even got advice and suggestions about opening a restaurant once the lockdown ends. Initially, there was no official name or a logo that people could address as but as the business got better which paved way to start a small restaurant, the name “Momo-Ki” came into being. Even after the naming, “Momo-Ki” was still a cloud kitchen for more than a year until the physical restaurant was completed and opened on 3rd of May, 2022.