LOCAL CUIZINE
chicken momos – That’s the flavor journey that Bindu Bites offers, embodying the essence of Nepali cuisine.
Bindu Bites has quick-The aroma of serrano and turmeric, the addictive Himalayan Sunrise sauce and the hand-folded dumplings of the ly found its way into the hearts of locals, selling authentic Nepali food at farmers markets throughout Central Texas, including Market days at Texas State. The business joined the TXST Market days in fall of 2024 through alumni Haley Hinch. She said when she started working at Bindu Bites, she knew it would be very well received at TXST market days.
“This is home to me, and these people would love this food,” Hinch said.
For Bindu Marasini, founder and CEO, cooking has always been a part of her life. She fondly reminisces on her early days folding momos with her mom, an all-day classic family event. They would prepare for hours before sitting together and eating.
“Mom always makes the filling, and then you kind of help her cut little veggies here [and] there … [and] try to help as much as you can,” Marasini said. “It’ll be a fun day where you just all — siblings, … uncles and aunts — you sit together.”
Every family has their own version of momos, and for Marasini, it’s been especially meaningful to highlight her family’s variation, reflected in the menu for Bindu Bites. Her connection to food runs deep, shaped by her upbringing in Nepal where she learned everything from milking cows to harvesting and milling grains by hand.
“We mill our own flowers in the back, from rice flour to wheat flour,” Marasini said. “I’m very knowledgeable, [starting] at a young age, of what a wheat kernel looks like, how it’s processed, how it gets milled.”
Her introduction to the food industry began during her accounting journey when she worked as a consultant for Vital Farms. From there, she transitioned from consulting to inventory management, where she got a behind the scenes look at the production side, seeing how a product goes from the farm setting to a warehouse.
Being in the food industry, she pondered on the idea of starting her own business, especially when considering her family’s background with cooking.
“My dad’s a chef. My mom’s obviously a great cook; I’ve learned a lot from her,” Marasini said. “I realized I’ve always wanted to do something on my own, but … nobody’s focusing on Nepali cuisine.”
Using her knowledge as an accountant, she allocated savings for six months to allow herself to develop her food company full-time. She began testing recipes with her mom and bouncing ideas off a former colleague. By September 2020, she debuted Bindu Bites at a farmer’s market in Austin.
“[I was] so nervous. You think you have sales skills, but you’re nervous to even say, ‘Do you want a sample’ to a customer,” Marasini said. “And then you kind of go through imposter symptoms and all kinds of stuff…, and you really question even what’s authentic to you versus what’s authentic to other people.”
From testing recipes to developing new sauces, Marasini was always looking to perfect the quality of her dishes regardless of the toll it would take.
“It was a lot to begin with, I was hand rolling my dough and just kind of having bruises on my hands,” Marasini said. “I remember at the time, my mom looked at me and said, ‘Why don’t you just use frozen wrappers?’ But I don’t want to.”
The emotional struggle was equally challenging, often needing to prioritize seizing business opportunities over spending time with loved ones.
“I sacrificed a lot, even the first year of marriage,” Marasini said. “I barely saw my husband once a month.”
In March 2022, during her second weekend at the Wolf Ranch Farmer’s Market in Georgetown, Marasini met Haley Hinch while selling banana bread. Hinch is now a business partner and sales and marketing associate at Bindu Bites.
“She … overheard my sales tactics and what I was saying to people,” Hinch said. “We hit it off as soon as we introduced ourselves to each other.”
Hinch initially helped in production — folding dumplings and making sauces — and gradually expanded into social media and marketing. After a year, she took over the farmer’s market in the Austin area, eventually running the markets in Wolf Ranch and Georgetown as well.
“I am quite a few people’s intro into Nepali food in the central Texas area,” Hinch said. “It’s such an honor to introduce people to the food because I know it’s so good.”
Their introduction to Central Texas came into realization at the 2024 Austin Hot Sauce Festival. With more than 3,000 attendees, Bindu Bites swept every People’s Choice category, breaking a 34-year record.
Marasini’s faith in the business went as far as selling her own home to invest in the new warehouse, where eventually they will grow their cilantro, peppers and other produce. Once again emphasizing the importance of keeping everything in-house through their thoughtful production process.
“My family, especially my mom, really cared about what went into the food. The quality was always so important,” Marasini said. “When the food is good, you don’t need much seasoning; the quality speaks for itself.”
Looking ahead, Bindu Bites plans to scale its dumpling production and sell online.
“When you go from bottling 30 bottles a day to bottling 150 a day, it is like wow,” Marasini said. “I’ll sit there for two days, and … all day long [I am] labeling.”
Marasini dreams of seeing her products in major stores like Central Market and Whole Foods.
Above, Bindu Marasini is the mind and spirit behind Bindu Bites and its specialty momos. Inspired by her mom’s recipes, Bindu handcrafts these Nepali dumplings with fresh ingredients and authentic spices, offering a variety of fillings like chicken and veggie. Below, Haley Hinch, Bindu Bites’ sales and marketing associate, spent her first six months on the job cooking and folding momos. The experience introduced her to Nepali cuisine, and now she enjoys sharing that culinary journey with others. Photos by Dillon James
