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Cloud kitchen or ghost kitchen service boomed during the Covid-19 pandemic. People were afraid to go out to eat and drink in restaurants, so they ordered in. Now that the pandemic fears have subsided, people have started visiting restaurants and bars. But curiously cloud kitchens still seem to be faring well. They have been catering to customers who are working or partying till late hours of the night, when conventional eateries are closed. Khaanpin Foods and Tours Pvt. Ltd started a ghost kitchen service in 2018 and has seen both the challenges and rewards of this relatively new member of Nepal’s food service industry. Anushka Nepal of ApEx talks to its founder Isha Balla. 

1. What inspired you to start a Khaanpin?

I started my career as an iOS developer and a content strategist in 2015. The working hours were long and I was constantly chasing deadlines. I had no time to cook and do the dishes. Eating out in restaurants was an option but they were closed when I was working till late at night. The idea for Khaanpin came from the necessity of food service for people who worked at night.

2. How did you turn that idea into a reality?

We started out small and with limited resources by renting an apartment in Lalitpur. Our objective was to provide food of all varieties to our clients at unconventional hours. My friends and family were very supportive of Khaanpin, which boosted my morale during the early days. Khaanpin is self-funded business. I have three other partners helping with the business. We are proud that today Khaanpin Foods and Tours Pvt. Ltd is Nepal’s leading food-tech hospitality company and the top cloud kitchen offering a wide range of food, bakery, and grocery selections all day all year in Kathmandu and Pokhara. 

3. How is Khaanpin different from other cloud kitchen platforms? 

Khaanpin is a multi brand cloud kitchen. We deliver Continental, Nepali, Indian, Chinese, Korean, Indo-Chinese and Newari dishes from our kitchen. Our menu is optimized to ensure food quality, ease of production and quick delivery. Our kitchen is centrally located at Pulchowk in Lalitpur, and at Zero K.M. in Pokhara for seamless and quick pickup and delivery. 

4. What were the challenges when you started out? 

It was relatively a new arena we were entering. As a result, it was hard to predict the outcome. The risk at the time seemed very high. However, with time, consistent efforts, tons of research and many hits and trials, the business took off. At Khaanpin, we take pride in calling ourselves a technologically driven hospitality company. Three business partners including me come from computer engineering background, so we have a robust technical system for every part of the order cycle. Our customers can place their orders from multiple platforms and all of them are monitored and handled by our in-house process management software.

5. What is the long-term vision of Khaanpin?

We are a woman-led company bringing freedom to food choices and availability 24/7. Khaanpin has provided employment opportunities to many people. We have more than 100 people working with us right now. Our long-term vision is to build an ecosystem around food service through vertical integration with farmers and producers, as well as introducing new innovations for pre-packed ready-to-eat meals. Khaanpin aims to set a benchmark in the Nepali service industry by providing quality food, timely delivery, and great customer service.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Nepal has been closely looking at the recent Taiwan issue.

Organizing a press conference on Friday, the Ministry clarified that Nepal is aware about the Taiwan issue.

Spokesperson at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sewa Lamsal said that Nepal is committed to One-China policy.

"Nepal and China have always been supporting each other's sovereignty, territorial integrity and national independence," she said, adding "As Nepal is a peaceful country, it is always in favor of international peace."

Home Minister Bal Krishna Khand has reiterated that Nepal is committed to One-China policy.

Minister Khand told Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Hou Yanqi that Nepal is committed to One-China policy.

The duo held a meeting at the Home Ministry on Friday.

"Nepal is in favor of One-China policy," Minister Khand said, adding "Nepal will never allow any forces to use its territory for anti-China separatist activities."

Recalling US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's recent visit to Taiwan, the Chinese Ambassador expressed her confidence that Nepal will be committed to One-China policy.

The ruling coalition has decided to continue the alliance till the elections.

A meeting of the coalition held at Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba’s official residence in Baluwatar on Friday decided to continue the alliance till the federal and provincial elections.

CPN (Unified Socialist) senior leader Jhalanath Khanal said that the parties associated with the ruling coalition have reached an understanding to complete all the process to forge electoral alliances by August 23.

“The parties have decided to move ahead by forging electoral alliances till the elections,” he said, adding, “A task force will be formed to complete the process to forge alliances.”

The government on Thursday had decided to hold the federal and provincial elections on November 20.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Khadka is set to leave for China.

Minister Khadka is visiting China at the invitation of State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China Wang Yi from August 9 to 11, 2022.

During the visit, the two ministers will hold delegation-level bilateral talks, leading their respective delegations in Qingdao, China on August 10, read a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday.

The Chinese minister will host a banquet in honor of Minister Khadka and the members of the delegation.

Khadka will return home on August 11.

The price of gold has increased by Rs 700 per tola in the domestic market on Friday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers' Association, the precious yellow metal is being traded at Rs 96, 800 per tola today.

Meanwhile, tejabi gold is being traded at Rs 96, 300 per tola.

The yellow bullion was traded at Rs 96, 100 per tola on Thursday.

Similarly, the price of silver is being traded at Rs 1,220 per tola today.

The US has urged Moscow to accept a deal to free basketball player Brittney Griner, who has been sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison, Associated Press reported.

The double Olympic winner was convicted of possessing and smuggling drugs after admitting to possessing cannabis oil.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said the US offer was "a serious proposal", but gave no details.

US media reports suggest Washington is offering a prisoner swap involving a Russian arms trafficker.

Viktor Bout - known as the "merchant of death" - is serving a 25 year-prison sentence in the US.

He could be transferred by Washington to the Russian authorities in exchange for Griner and former US Marine Paul Whelan, the reports say.

Whelan, who has US, British, Canadian and Irish passports, was sentenced in 2020 to 16 years in jail in Russia after being convicted of spying.

Mr Kirby told reporters that the duo were being wrongfully detained and needed to be let go.

On the subject of the US proposal, Mr Kirby said: "We urge them to accept it. They should have accepted it weeks ago when we first made it."

But according to Reuters news agency, one stumbling block is that Russia wants to add convicted murderer Vadim Krasikov, who is in prison in Germany, to the proposed swap.

When questioned about this possibility, Mr Kirby dismissed it, saying: "I don't think we go so far as to even call it a counter-offer."

Griner, 31, told the court she had made an "honest mistake" and had not intended to break the law.

Considered one of the best female players in the world, she was detained in February at an airport near Moscow when vape cartridges containing cannabis oil were found in her luggage. She had come to Russia to play club basketball during the US off-season, according to Associated Press.

Soon afterwards, Russia invaded Ukraine and her case has become subject to high-profile diplomacy between the US and Russia.

Her defence team said they would appeal against the verdict.

Griner's Phoenix Mercury teammates staged a gesture of solidarity on Thursday, when they and their Connecticut Sun opponents observed 42 seconds of silence before their game, in honour of her number 42 jersey.

US President Joe Biden called her sentencing "unacceptable", adding: "I call on Russia to release her immediately so she can be with her wife, loved ones, friends, and teammates."

Meanwhile Secretary of State Antony Blinken added: "Russia, and any country engaging in wrongful detention, represents a threat to the safety of everyone travelling, working and living abroad."

Mr Blinken raised the issue in a phone call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov last week, in the first conversation between the two men since the start of the war in Ukraine.

Both are now in Cambodia for a meeting of the Association of South-East Asian Nations. The US says Mr Blinken will try to speak with Mr Lavrov again while they are there, Associated Press reported.

The federal government declared a public health emergency Thursday to bolster the response to the monkeypoxoutbreak that has infected more than 7,100 Americans, Associated Press reported.

The announcement will free up money and other resources to fight the virus, which may cause fever, body aches, chills, fatigue and pimple-like bumps on many parts of the body.

“We are prepared to take our response to the next level in addressing this virus, and we urge every American to take monkeypox seriously,” said Xavier Becerra, head of the US Department of Health and Human Services.

The declaration by HHS comes as the Biden administration has faced criticism over monkeypox vaccine availability. Clinics in major cities such as New York and San Francisco say they haven’t received enough of the two-shot vaccine to meet demand, and some have had to stop offering the second dose to ensure supply of first doses.

The White House said it has made more than 1.1 million doses available and has helped to boost domestic diagnostic capacity to 80,000 tests per week.

The monkeypox virus spreads through prolonged skin-to-skin contact, including hugging, cuddling and kissing, as well as sharing bedding, towels and clothing. The people who have gotten sick so far have been primarily men who have sex with men. But health officials emphasize that the virus can infect anyone, according to Associated Press.

No one in the United States has died. A few deaths have been reported in other countries.

Earlier this week, the Biden administration named top officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to serve as the White House coordinators to combat monkeypox.

Thursday’s declaration is an important — and overdue — step, said Lawrence Gostin, a public health law expert at Georgetown University.

“It signals the US government’s seriousness and purpose, and sounds a global alarm,” he said.

Under the declaration, HHS can draw from emergency funds, hire or reassign staff to deal with the outbreak and take other steps to control the virus.

For example, the announcement should help the federal government to seek more information from state and local health officials about who is becoming infected and who is being vaccinated. That information can be used to better understand how the outbreak is unfolding and how well the vaccine works.

Gostin said the US government has been too cautious and should have declared a nationwide emergency earlier. Public health measures to control outbreaks have increasingly faced legal challenges in recent years, but Gostin didn’t expect that to happen with monkeypox.

“It is a textbook case of a public health emergency,” Gostin said. “It’s not a red or a blue state issue. There is no political opposition to fighting monkeypox.”

A public health emergency can be extended, similar to what happened during the COVID-19 pandemic, he noted.

The urgency in the current response stems from the rapid spread of the virus coupled with the limited availability of the two-dose vaccine called Jynneos, which is considered the main medical weapon against the disease.

The doses, given 28 days apart, are currently being given to people soon after they think they were exposed, as a measure to prevent symptoms, Associated Press reported.

Becerra announced the emergency declaration during a call with reporters. During the call, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Robert Califf said regulators are reviewing an approach that would stretch supplies by allowing health professionals to vaccinate up to five people — instead of one — with each vial of Jynneos.

Under this so-called “dose-sparing” approach, physicians and others would use a shallower injection under the skin, instead of the subcutaneous injection currently recommended in the vaccine’s labeling.

Califf said a decision authorizing that approach could come “within days.”

That would require another declaration, to allow the government to alter its guidelines on how to administer the vaccine, officials said.

Health officials pointed to a study published in 2015 that found that Jynneos vaccine administered that way was as effective at stimulating the immune system as when the needle plunger deeper into other tissue.

But experts also have acknowledged they are still gathering information on how well the conventional administration of one or two full doses works against the outbreak.

Others health organizations have made declarations similar to the one issued by HHS.

Last week, the World Health Organization called monkeypox a public health emergency, with cases in more than 70 countries. A global emergency is WHO’s highest level of alert, but the designation does not necessarily mean a disease is particularly transmissible or lethal.

California, Illinois and New York have all made declarations in the last week, as have New York City, San Francisco and San Diego County.

The declaration of a national public health emergency and the naming of a monkeypox czar are “symbolic actions,” said Gregg Gonsalves, a Yale University infectious diseases expert.

What’s important is that the government is taking the necessary steps to control the outbreak and — if it comes to that — to have a plan for how to deal with monkeypox if it becomes endemic, he said.

Monkeypox is endemic in parts of Africa, where people have been infected through bites from rodents or small animals. It does not usually spread easily among people, according to Associated Press.

But in May, a wave of unexpected cases began emerging in Europe and the United States. Now more than 26,000 cases have been reported in countries that traditionally have not seen monkeypox.