Everest Cafe and Bar cleaned up after its last dinner at 2403 Missouri Blvd. in Jefferson City on Friday.
The family-owned restaurant, which opened in 2013, served authentic Nepalese, Indian and Korean food.
The decision to close Everest Cafe in Jefferson City came as owner Devi States, a native of Kathmandu, Nepal, and doctor of health sciences, has begun dedicating more of his time to the Himalayan Family Healthcare Project, a nonprofit organization he founded in 2009, said his son, Jesse States, who also worked at the restaurant.
The nonprofit has sent volunteer groups to rural Nepal to provide certain health services every year since its founding, much like Devi States also has offered customers free health screenings for blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar at his restaurant. He has, through his nonprofit, been collecting funds - in addition to some of the restaurant's profits - to build a hospital in Nepal.
"They need somebody over there in Nepal that they can trust to take care of the money," Jesse States said. "It's just a really big struggle for him to not be there."
States also noted the Jefferson City restaurant had had trouble maintaining a cook on staff proficient in cooking Indian cuisine.
The family's original Everest Cafe and Bar location in St. Louis will remain open for business and undergo a significant expansion soon, States said.
As for Jefferson City diners who came to rely on Everest Cafe to spice up their international cuisine options, there's still hope: a buyer currently based in Alaska has purchased the restaurant and plans to reopen it as The Curry House around the end of December, States said.
"My dad has shown him a majority of his recipes," States said. "But he might change some things or add new stuff."
Know of any business happenings around Jefferson City? Let us know at [email protected].