Palden Lama

Palden Lama was born in a little village in Nepal, and despite now living on a different continent, he visits Kathmandu every day of the week.

That’s because he’s joined forces with couple of friends to create two restaurants here in Adelaide: Kathmandu Palace in Glenelg and Kathmandu Restaurant in Hutt Street in the city centre.

“I was working in Kathmandu when a friend first recommended TAFE college in Adelaide, so I gathered more info from the internet and decided TAFE SA was the right place for what I wanted to achieve,” he says.

“I arrived in December 2001 to study information technology and did a Commercial Cookery at Regency TAFE. I have lived here ever since.”

Palden says the friendly people of Adelaide, and support from teachers and students at TAFE SA, influenced his decision to stay on in South Australia at the end of his studies.

“The best thing about studying in Adelaide is the relaxed atmosphere and the support from people in the college and the community – people are really kind and helpful,” he says.

“Studying at TAFE SA gave me hands-on skills, confidence and determination at a personal level. I have learnt to do what I enjoy, and vice versa.

“Opportunities at different levels kept me focused on SA and I just followed my heart in choosing to stay here.”

Palden is now one of the directors of a company which owns the two popular restaurants, overseeing the day-to-day running of the businesses and handling everything behind the scenes as well.

“It’s not easy in this industry, but it’s not impossible either. It takes a lot of effort and patience.”

Down the track, he hopes to use his own success to benefit others.

“My goal is to find the happiness within and enjoy life, but also to help my family and be a useful member of the community,” he says. “I also would like to help the less fortunate kids in Nepal, especially from the village where I was born, with their school education.”