Manayunk’s Tibetan Restaurant White Yak is Popping Up at South Philly’s Ember & Ash Featuring 10 Family Style Plates

White Yak opened in Roxborough to critical acclaim in July 2019, with founders Treley and Tsering Parshingtsang bringing Philadelphia its first ever Tibetan restaurant, opening their guests’ tastebuds to the world of momo and much more. And while the husband-and-wife operators have appeared at various food events in and around Philadelphia, they have, until now, quietly kept it old school, only hosting dinners within the confines of their own restaurant with their own menu.

On Tuesday, March 25th, White Yak will take part in its first ever collaboration, bringing their celebrated cuisine to the city for the first time for a Women’s History Month dinner with Lulu and Scott Calhoun’s Ember & Ash at the restaurant located at 1520 East Passyunk Avenue.

Reservations are required, and can be booked on Resy now. The dinner costs $85 per person (plus tax and gratuity), and will feature 10 family-style plates featuring Tibetan fare in a menu that will be a total collaboration of the two restaurants. Seatings will be at 5:30, 6:30, and 7:30 p.m.

The menu will include variations of White Yak’s cuisine, including their various momo, chicken curry, and more, but cooked on the hearth while combining some of the flavors of Chef Calhoun.

“The more I learned about White Yak, the more I realized how much fun we could have dancing the line between what they do and what Ember & Ash does, cooking everything on the hearth and under fire while utilizing more traditional cooking methods to showcase Tibetan cuisine,” said Chef Calhoun. “Since they don’t use ovens in Tibet, and we use the hearth, we are going to do some very, very cool things with White Yak’s food for this dinner. We are really excited for this menu and for our guests to be introduced to Tibetan cuisine in this setting.”

With both restaurants being women-owned, the teams from Ember & Ash and White Yak decided that March was a perfect time to collaborate while celebrating Women’s History Month. A portion of proceeds will benefit Women’s Wayin Philadelphia.

Treley was born and raised between two valleys in a remote area in eastern part of Tibet. Her family was semi-nomadic, raising yaks and farming. Growing up, she had no formal education until moving to Lhasa at the age of 11, and had a short schooling period due to delayed access to education. After her schooling, Treley began teaching at a preschool, and eventually went on to work at One Heart World Wide organization that provided maternity care, midwifery services, child healthcare, and nutritional education to impoverished Tibetan villagers, many of whom lacked access to modern technology. Through her work there, she gained a deep understanding of nutrition science. Treley never had formal culinary training or attended culinary school, but learned to cook by watching her family members – helping them, and practicing on her own. Her mother passed away when she was nine, so she became an independent cook from a young age.

Before immigrating to the U.S. in February 2010, Treley’s husband, Tsering, suggested that they to open a Tibetan restaurant, something Philadelphia didn’t have at the time. Treley took private cooking lessons from a well-known chef in Lhasa Tibet. He taught her how to beautifully wrap momos and properly cut vegetables for the best texture and flavor. After immigrating, Treley started working in restaurants immediately, bussing tables and working as a waitress before eventually cooking while learning the business. Several times, Treley back to Tibet to learn more about Tibetan foods, and she learned a lot from her family members’ restaurant and noodle house in Tibet Lhasa. White Yak’s menu features family recipes from both sides of the family: from Tsering’s hometown – a Tibetan autonomous region in Yunnan province where very low altitude; and Treley’s family recipes where she came from eastern part of Tibet where there is very high altitude. Facing many difficulties along the way, with no background or experience opening a restaurant, they went to Philadelphia’s City Hall at least 60 times, sticking with their plan thanks to Tsering’s encouragement until they finally were able to open White Yak.

“The restaurant reflects my values and ideals in cooking – serving food that is clean, healthy, and nourishing, just as I would for my own family,” said Treley. “My husband designed the interior using traditional Tibetan design elements to create an authentic experience. White Yak is not just about food, but about sharing Tibetan culture, traditions, and hospitality. We want our guests to feel like they are in a Tibetan home, enjoying homemade food. We keep our recipes simple, and focus on making our dishes colorful using only natural ingredients. Tibetan cuisine is unique. Unlike many other Asian cultures that rely on rice, our staple food is tsampa, which is made from barley — one of the few grains that grow in Tibet’s high altitudes. We eat a lot of noodles, broths, slow-cooked stews, and steamed foods. In Tibet, we don’t have ovens, so we bake bread in ashes. We bury the dough in clean, hot ashes from natural firewood to prepare it. Sometimes, we also bake bread on hot stones. We treat food as medicine, and we’re grateful to serve Philadelphia each and every day.”

White Yak, located at 6118 Ridge Avenue in Philadelphia’s Roxborough neighborhood, is open Tuesday through Sunday for lunch and dinner. The BYOB restaurant offers takeout and delivery.