P.H. Express Reconnects Students to their Roots

This spring semester, the famous protagonists of Pakistan House are celebrating 20 years of serving the RIT Visiting Chef Program. Ike Ansari and his cousin Yasin Rao have created a name for themselves by building ever-lasting memories for students and faculty through their incredible talent for cooking and brightening days. But where exactly did this match-in-heaven partnership start?

Pakistan House was created by Ike in the early 2000s as a small-scale restaurant serving Middle Eastern food in Henrietta. Although successful in the local community, Ike wanted to showcase the recipes of his hometown to a wider audience. In 2004, his wish was eventually granted when he became the first Visiting Chef to partner with RIT.

Ike’s signature chicken tikka masala was an instant hit among students and vegetarian options like vegetable biryani sold out quicker than he could manage. Then, he noticed a pattern of students who visited his station solely because it reminded them of their home counties. Ike said he quickly “fell in love” with the opportunity to help students reconnect with their roots and offer others new food for their palette to enjoy. 

Shortly after partnering with the university, Ike decided to close his restaurant location and exclusively serve food as a member of the Visiting Chef Program at RIT.

“A lot of people ask to open the restaurant outside of RIT, and we don't want to because RIT is our family,” Ike said. “This is our bread and butter; RIT is our bread and butter. We are so happy to only serve at RIT."

In 2014, Ike was joined by his cousin Yasin, who has been part of the Pakistan House team at RIT ever since and is mostly known for his trademarked and cheerful “food calls.” Yasin moved to the United States in 2006 and quickly began learning how to put together family recipes with the help of Ike. Yasin says everything he knows “is taught by his Ike.”

When asked how it makes him feel to know that students line up at dining locations to hear him say, “There’s good food here. Come and get it!” he answered with a smirk.

“I feel very blessed," Yasin said. "They love my food, but it's not all about the food. I ask them how their day is going and if they would like help finding something... it's a personal exchange, not a service one. We know what people want, and we give them it.”

Despite holding the record for longest-serving Visiting Chefs, Ike and Yasin have stuck to what they know. Over the last twenty years, Pakistan House's menu has rarely changed, and the same goes for the cooking methods passed down by Ike’s family in Pakistan.

“We are the cooks, we are servers, we are the only two people working at Pakistan House, we do everything," Ike said. "We have been using the same ingredients for 20 years.”

Even though the list has remained unchanged for the last two decades, one ingredient stands out, and it’s called love. Whether it’s Yasin’s ability to remember students' faces and create their order before saying a single word or a simple “have an amazing day today” greeting he gives to passing people, Pakistan House will continue to have a part in Tiger hearts.

“We will stay at RIT forever,” Ike said. “We love working here, and that will never change."