Garleek Kitchen Celebrates Chef Tsering Phuntsok’s Feature in Toronto Guardian

We are incredibly proud to celebrate a special moment for our family and Garleek Kitchen.

Chef Tsering Phuntsok (Karma), the chef and founder behind Garleek Kitchen, was recently featured by Toronto Guardian in a story sharing his journey, his connection to food and the path that eventually led him to open our family-owned restaurant in Parkdale.

You can read the full feature in Toronto Guardian’s story about Chef Tsering Phuntsok.

A Story About Food, Family and Finding Your Way to Toronto

Garleek Kitchen has always been more than a restaurant to our family.

Food is connected to Chef Karma’s life story, his Tibetan heritage, the places he has lived and the people who have influenced him along the way.

His journey with food began long before Garleek Kitchen opened its doors in Parkdale.

As a young person, Chef Karma learned from the people around him and developed a love for cooking. His experiences later took him through the Tibetan monastery where he learned traditional Tibetan cuisine, as well as Nepal, India and eventually North America.

Each chapter added another influence to the food he cooks today.

From Tibetan and Himalayan traditions to Nepalese, Indian, Vietnamese and other Asian flavours, Garleek Kitchen reflects a lifetime of food experiences rather than just one cuisine.

Bringing Tibetan and Himalayan Food to Parkdale

When Garleek Kitchen opened in 2018, Chef Karma chose Parkdale because of its connection to Toronto’s Tibetan community and its identity as Little Tibet.

At the same time, he wanted Garleek Kitchen to offer something that reflected his entire culinary journey.

Today, our menu includes handmade Tibetan momos, Himalayan favourites, Nepalese dishes, Bhutanese flavours and Asian fusion dishes inspired by the many places and people that have shaped Chef Karma’s life.

Garleek Kitchen is proud to be part of Parkdale’s diverse food community and to share Tibetan and Himalayan food with Toronto diners.

From Our Family to Yours

As Chef Karma’s wife, watching Garleek Kitchen grow has been an incredible journey.

There have been long days, challenges, experiments in the kitchen and countless conversations about food. There have also been moments when we have been reminded why we started this journey in the first place.

We love sharing our food.

We love introducing people to Tibetan and Himalayan dishes they may be trying for the first time.

And we love being part of the Parkdale community.

That is why this feature means so much to us.

It is an opportunity to celebrate not only Chef Karma’s story, but also the people, cultures, experiences and family traditions that helped shape Garleek Kitchen.

Thank You, Toronto Guardian

We want to sincerely thank Toronto Guardian for taking the time to share Chef Tsering Phuntsok’s story.

For independent, family-owned restaurants, being given the opportunity to tell our story can mean a great deal.

Restaurants are often known for the food on the plate, but behind every dish is a story.

For Garleek Kitchen, that story includes Tibet, Nepal, India, Toronto, Parkdale, family and a lifelong love of food.

We are proud of how far Chef Karma has come, and we are excited for what comes next.

Thank you to everyone who has supported Garleek Kitchen, visited our restaurant, shared a meal with us, ordered our food, told a friend about us or followed along on our family’s journey.

We couldn’t do this without you.

Come Visit Garleek Kitchen

Garleek Kitchen is a family-owned Tibetan and Asian fusion restaurant in Parkdale’s Little Tibet neighbourhood.

We invite you to come and experience the food, flavours and family story behind our kitchen.

And if you would like to learn more about Chef Tsering Phuntsok’s journey, please read his feature in Toronto Guardian.

From our family to yours, thank you for being part of our journey.

— Jenna, Chef Karma and the Garleek Kitchen family