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 Our Team

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who we are & our values

 
Ck monogram with values: collaboration, cross-cultural understanding, community building

Comfort Kitchen is a Black-owned, immigrant-owned, and woman-owned business. We seek to live out our values in everything we do: collaboration, cross-cultural understanding, and community building.

We believe that food is a vital aspect of community building. We envision a place that is actively engaged in the celebration of art and history of our local community. We're seeking to partner with individuals, groups, and organizations who want to make a positive impact.

 
 
 

Biplaw Rai

CEO / Co-Owner

A Nepali-born culinary entrepreneur, restaurant owner, and CEO, Biplaw Rai is dedicated to building community through food. With a deep passion for culture and connection, he creates intentional, collaborative spaces that bring people together.

Biplaw is a Restaurant Fellow for the Boston Ujima Project, a democratic, member-run organization committed to building a cooperative business, arts, and investment ecosystem that returns wealth to working-class communities of color.

An accomplished public speaker, he shares his journey of immigration and advocacy, using his platform to educate audiences on culture and cuisine, community-building, and equity in the food industry

Nyacko Pearl Perry

Co-Owner

Nyacko Pearl Perry is a transformational change leader driven by a deep passion for exploring group dynamics, social systems, and how to foster soulful community. With over a decade of experience as an organizational development consultant and executive coach, she is committed to helping organizations align their systems, leadership, and cultures with equity and intention.

At Comfort Kitchen, Nyacko focuses on business strategy, team development, and building strong, sustainable foundations for long-term success.

Nyacko holds a Master’s in Organization Development with distinction from American University and a Bachelor’s in Counseling Psychology from Lesley University. She is also an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) through the International Coaching Federation.

 
 
 

Kyisha Davenport

Director of Operations

Kyisha is an acclaimed mixologist and community activist. Pursuing bartending after high school, she soon married her passions for hospitality and activism to become a food service union leader and organizer in Brooklyn. 

After moving to Boston, Kyisha transitioned to cooperative ownership as a worker-owner at Tanám in 2018, becoming the first Black woman to receive Boston’s Restaurant of the Year Award, a James Beard nomination, and several other honors and accolades. 

Furthering her personal practice of Diasporic Mixology, Kyisha relaunched BarNoirBoston in 2021, a hospitality collective she founded three years earlier to address unequal access, education, and progress for Boston's Black hospitality workers. 

As Beverage Director at Comfort Kitchen, Kyisha employs mixology to make a place for her community at the table – or, more aptly, a seat at the bar.

Shelley Nason

Culinary Director

From childhood memories of cooking with her grandmother, auntie, and mum to 10+ years working in catering and fine dining restaurants, the kitchen has always been a place of gathering and comfort for Shelley.

She is moved by the bonds people build in the kitchen. This sense of community drove her passion for cooking as she worked her way through the culinary world, eventually partnering with Kwasi to create The Chop Bar pop-up and, ultimately, leading her to Comfort Kitchen. 

As Chef de Cuisine, Shelley spearheads the research, development, and testing of all menu items
, while leading catering and private event efforts. 

She is deeply committed to bringing food forward in ways people haven’t thought about before, developing dishes that tell the story of their history, create connections, and transcend cultures.

 
 
 

Liam Woodworth-Cook

Catering & Events Director

Liam joined Comfort Kitchen in 2021 when it was still a pop-up, bringing his lifelong love of food and community.

Raised by avid home cooks, with a father who cooked professionally, he found his way into kitchens early—starting as a baker’s assistant at a family dance camp at 16. His first restaurant job came at 21 in Colorado, where he was drawn to the fast-paced rhythm of restaurant life.

After traveling through his twenties, he returned to New England, cooking everywhere from seafood shacks to large-scale catering events. Along the way, he earned a BFA in Creative Writing from Emerson, balancing his love for poetry with his love for food.

His infectious laugh fills the kitchen, and his passion for sharing meals is evident in every dish he makes. Liam is often teary-eyed at Ck’s special dinners. Seeing tables full of food and faces of pleasure is a hearty reward for the work.

Danameche terron

Director of Beverage

Danameche is a skilled mixologist passionate about crafting unique and culturally significant cocktails. His keen eye for detail and extensive knowledge of ingredients and flavor profiles allow him to create drinks that are both delicious and tell a story.

He draws inspiration from his diverse cultural background, incorporating elements of tradition and history into his creations. By using ingredients and techniques that reflect different cultures, Danameche connects people through the shared experience of food and drink.

His dedication to exploring new flavors, experimenting with combinations, and honoring culinary traditions makes him a remarkable talent, constantly pushing boundaries and redefining the profession.

 
 

Our Story

 
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from pop-ups to permanent

Our story starts with Biplaw Rai, our managing partner. In 2013 he connected with Kwasi Kwaa, our chef partner, where they worked together at Hi-Rise bakery in Cambridge. Their paths crossed again in 2015 at Dudley Cafe in Roxbury where Biplaw was a partner at the time and invited chef Kwasi to bring the Chop Bar pop-up along with chef Shelley (now our CDC) and Hope Inc. to host monthly open mics and serve global street eats.

Both Biplaw and Kwasi share a love for community, culture, and food. They also share an immigrant story that through different paths lead them both to jobs and a home in the food industry. Biplaw is originally from Nepal and Kwasi is from Ghana. They both immigrated to the US in their youth. This connection came full circle in late 2019 when they partnered to launch Comfort Kitchen along with their spouses, Nyacko Pearl Perry and Rita Ferreira. As we got ready to start construction and eventually open our doors, the pandemic hit in 2020. It was devastating on many levels, including to the restaurant industry.

When Comfort Kitchen's opening date was delayed due to the impact of COVID-19, the team took the extended timeline as an opportunity to refine the menu and business strategy, and to begin sharing our food and story through pop-ups and other collaborations around the city of Boston and beyond. This was possible thanks to years of relationships and friends in this industry: Sweet Basil on Moody, Tanám at Bow Market, Mei Mei, Popportunity, The Urban Grape, and Exodus Bagels.

From 2020 to 2022, our series of pop-ups included an extended 8-month residency at Little Dipper in JP that landed us on Boston Magazine's 50 best restaurants in Boston (even before having our own brick-and-mortar) and Eater Boston's Best New pop-up. We continued to face pandemic-related delays and challenges that affected the build-out construction and raising funds.

Finally, on January 25, 2023, we opened our doors at 611 Columbia Road for the first public dinner service in our permanent home. In 2024, we were nominated finalist for the James Beard Foundation for Best New Restaurant.

We’re proud to be in Upham’s Corner, Dorchester! To work with family and friends. To serve our community and neighborhood. To see familiar faces from the pop-ups. To meet new friends from near and far. We are home.

 

  • James Beard “Best New Restaurant” Finalists

  • The 25 Best Restaurants in Boston, 2024 New York Times

  • Restaurant of the Year, 2023 Boston Globe

  • Best New Restaurant, 2023 Boston Magazine

  • The 50 Restaurants We're Most Excited About Right Now, 2023 The New York Times

  • Top 50 Restaurants in Boston 2023 Boston Magazine

Headshots & team photos by Stefanie Belnavis of The Diahann Project (@thediahannproject)

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