FARAH MOMEN WANTS TO TAKE YOU ON A CULINARY JOURNEY

Bondhu, a new culinary community space, aims to nourish the entire body

BY JENNIFER HUBERDEAU

NEW ASHFORD

Farah Momen is a storyteller, but not in the traditional sense.

She’s a writer who tells stories without words, an artist who doesn’t use paint. Food is the language in which she communicates. Her canvas? An empty plate.

Cooking and storytelling go hand-inhand for Momen who, with her husband Matthew Trisic, recently opened Bondhu, at 342 New Ashford Road (Route 7), formerly the Mill on the Floss restaurant.

“I really love to study food. That’s kind of a big part of what I do. My background is in geography and even my master’s was in international affairs,” Momen said. “So, I really like to learn about food through the lens of: What is the history of the food? Who likes to eat it? Why are they eating it? Is it based on their environment? Is it their culture?

“When I approach food, it’s usually from that lens first and then I learn to cook it. Whereas, I think a lot of people from a culinary background learn to cook it and then maybe after explore some of that meaning. So for me, I just started in my journey in a different place and I think it all comes back to family for me”.

The daughter of Bangladeshi immigrants, Momen was born in upstate New York and grew up in Rockland County.

Cod cabbage roll braised in gochujang and miso, with toasted forbidden rice, candied sesame sweet potatoes, figs tossed in scallion oil and lightly pickled cucumbers.

PHOTO BY BONDHU

Farah Momen prepares a meal during the first supper club at Bondhu

“Bangladeshis have such a rich tradition around food. If you meet a Bangladeshi, they love talking about food, cooking. It’s really a cornerstone of how we socialize,” she said. “My mom worked a full-time job but also cooked an incredible homemade meal every day. Of course, I just took that for granted as a kid, but as I got older, I really started opening my eyes and just watched her, learned from her.”

Momen had her own cookbook by age 7, but opted to earn a degree in geography instead of pursuing the path that would have taken her to culinary school.

CULINARY SCHOOL DECISIONS

“It’s funny because any time I’ve had a juncture in life, it was always should I do this thing or should I go to culinary school?” she said. “The financial crash was 2008, so when I went to college in 2010, it was always like I need to make sure I get a stable job, find some stability in whatever I choose to do.”

Ultimately, she decided not to go to culinary school, but the option was always on her mind.

“I was going down this one path, but then, in the back of my head, I was always kind of thinking should I do culinary? I ended up not going to culinary school, which I think is a great path for so many people,” she said. “I think, for me, my love of cooking was such that I was able to self-teach, self-learn a lot of my cooking through just personal channels and through my personal, private time.”

She pursued her undergraduate degree in Montreal, where she met her husband and developed an even greater love for food and cooking.

“When I got to Montreal, which is such a foodie city, I just started to open my palette, to open my eyes and to play with flavors,” Momen said, remembering how her cooking intensified, starting with intimate dinners for her and her husband and growing to dinners for 30 people.

Farah Momen recently opened the culinary community space, Bondhu, in New Ashford.

PHOTO BY BEN GARVER

“I just would, on my own, learn, try to push myself, try to push myself to see how many people I could serve,” she said.

But even then, she couldn’t be compelled to pursue her passion for all things culinary. Her academic journey would take the couple to Boston, where she earned her master’s and took a job in the tech sector, working as an advisor -to entrepreneurs. Then COVID hit.

“Like everyone else during COVID, I think I took a pause and asked what does it mean to work and what can work look like?” Momen said. “I really went back to the drawing board of where do I want to spend my energy?”

She began testing ideas and cooking more.

A REALITY (TV) CHECK

“And then I had the privilege of going on ‘Top Chef Amateur.’ It was just one of those bizarre circumstances,” she said. “I saw a casting call. I applied and then before you know it I was on the show working with an absolute icon. I think that just gave me enough momentum and validation to just go ahead and pursue the vision that I’ve had for a while.

“Now I’m in New Ashford, with this beautiful historical place that I hope I can do proud and continue doing what I love and serve people.”

It was on the plane ride home from the show that she made the decision to pursue her lifelong passion. “I was like, ‘I loved this too much to not pursue it in some way,’” she said.

Za’atar honey nut squash, oil-poached cod, fish sauce, rice vinegar and brown sugar, pickled pears, pearl couscous, garlic potatoes and a lime basil sauce.

PHOTO BY BONDHU

She also knew she didn’t want to open a traditional restaurant, where the focus is on serving and replicating high-quality food in the same way day in and day out.

“It’s about that consistency. There’s such an art to that and that’s just not really my focus,” Momen said. “I loved the variety of cooking and I love how every person you put in the kitchen just has a totally different story. They have their own cultural background that they may or may not be tapped into; they have their own preferences. They have the things that they are already comfortable doing in the kitchen and then things they’ve never done. And I love how different every human is in the kitchen.”

A COMMUNITY CULINARY SPACE

Instead, Bondhu, which means friend, is meant to be a culinary space, where Momen is hosting supper clubs, cooking classes, private parties and lessons and cooking competitions. In addition, she plans to rent the space to other entrepreneurs for pop-up restaurants and private events.

The supper clubs — multi-course, oneof-a-kind meals that tell a historic, cultural, personal or fictional story — are a communal experience, more “elevated dinner party” than a restaurant. The menu is limited and everyone is served the same items.

“The idea is, partially, that you have a great meal, but it’s also, partially, that you see how I’m telling a story through this food,” she said. “I think what I’m looking to tap into is every person’s potential to really improve how they experience food.

“That’s something that I’m really focused on — the learning component and the experiential component of food. And that was why I ended up moving away from a restaurant. A restaurant, you go and you eat something delicious. It’s the chef’s art.

“For me, it’s more of a come in, play, think about the food, eat this food, cook this food and kind of approach it from all different dimensions. The cooking classes are meant for people to come in and get chopping and get in the mindset of serving. The supper club is where people can come in and eat but are asked to think about the food a little differently. I’m looking to push beyond the cooking or beyond the eating piece.” ■

If You Go

What: Bondhu Where: 342 New Ashford Road, New Ashford More information: 413-200-8244, bondhubasha.com

Bondhu Supper Club

What: Fixed price, multiple-course dinners that tell a story through food.

Price: $100 and up

New Years Tales

When: 6 to 10 p.m., Friday, Jan. 6 What: Explore global culinary (and a few non-culinary) traditions that ring in the New Year!

Bondhu Cooking Competition

When: Noon to 10 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 14 What: Three rounds. Real judges. One winner. Do you have what it takes to be a Bondhu Champion? Find more information about joining the competition at bondhubasha.com. $5 entry at the door for non-participants.

The Dark Side Of Love — Murder Mystery Party

When: 6 to 10 p.m., Friday, Feb. 3 What: It starts with love, it ends with murder. Intrigue, suspicion, and food that is deliciously on theme. Costumes are highly encouraged. Character descriptions, rules and suggestions for play will be sent ahead of time.

Valentine’s Day Dinner

When: 6 to 9 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 14 What: A multi-course, romantic feast that tells the story of love.

Native American Culinary Landscape

When: 6 to 9 p.m., Saturday, March 4 What: Explore and recognize the contributions of Indigenous peoples on the American culinary landscape.