SHI MIAO DAO Yunnan Rice Noodle

Nisha was born in Massachusetts but returned to Hangzhou, China to learn the basics and fundamentals of cooking. Not only did her family inspire her to start her own restaurant but they also supported her second move to the United States. Nisha believes that all businesses need time, effort, and patience to learn the basics of running a new startup. In 2021, she opened Shi Miao Dao in a smaller populated area of Quincy (Wollaston), less known to the wider community and farther from downtown. All the dishes are cooked fresh— Nisha explains that learning to time the meat dishes in the pan and stove is the trickiest technique to learn. Despite opening her restaurant during the pandemic, business for Nisha did not crash. She learned to stay on her feet by offering delivery and takeout options as the restaurant lacked much indoor seating space, to begin with. According to Nisha, anti-Asian violence may plague this world, but Asians in Quincy “are lucky as there are other parts that are not as safe”. Nisha believes that we find safe havens in other ways, such as sharing our culture through unique dishes as Shi Miao Dao promotes.