The Commons and the Uncommon
If you have ever been to the Commons in Abingdon, you will notice that there really isn’t much that is common about it. It’s an eclectic hub full of interesting items you won’t find just anywhere—from locally produced mushrooms and unique clothing to exotic pet treats and handmade goods. But nestled inside this vibrant space is a business that isn’t just uncommon; it’s likely the only one of its kind in the world.
When I first heard of The Pakalachian, I knew this place would captivate our readers. It is a small restaurant with an open kitchen that operates like a mad artist’s workshop. Here, brilliant new ideas flow freely, eagerly anticipated by a loyal customer base waiting to see what day’s specials will emerge from the window.
The Pakalachian is exactly what its name implies: a seamless, 50/50 fusion of traditional Pakistani flavors, spices, and textures with beloved Appalachian staples. And they get it absolutely right.
The Art of the Menu
The base menu is minimalist, allowing the owners to perfect four regular items, while their weekly specials serve as the canvas where artful experimentation meets the community.
- Curry Me Down South: The dish that started it all. A robust, tomato-based Pakistani chicken curry piled high on creamy mashed potatoes, served with fresh cilantro chutney. It is the ultimate comfort food.
- Tikka My Senses: A marinated, crispy fried chicken tikka breast served on a bun with plenty of pickles, accompanied by aloo bhaji fries and dill ranch.
- Daal Me Up: A hearty vegan option featuring Masoor lentils over mashed potatoes, topped with a cumin cornbread crumble and cilantro chutney (with an option to add pickled collards).
- Tikka Tenders: Crispy, marinated chicken tikka tenders, served with aloo bhaji fries and dill ranch.
The Culinary Canvas: Foraging and Forward Thinking
As if these staples weren’t unique enough, the weekly specials showcase a boundless, fearless creativity. You might find a Seekh Kebab corn dog, Chicken Jalfrezi, or a giant Samosa Pot Pie.
This ingenuity extends deep into the local ecology. The owners actively forage for seasonal ingredients, bringing Appalachian nature directly into their exotic flavor profiles. They hunt for local mushrooms, plan menus around red bud season, and craft butternut squash kofte (meatballs). They even foraged local Kudzu to create a unique saag dish that caught the attention of Padma Lakshmi’s Taste the Nation.
There is also a profound respect for dietary choices embedded in their menu. Growing up in New Jersey, Mohsin noticed that vegetarian options at restaurants were often an afterthought—a bland cheese sandwich that felt disrespectful to adventurous eaters with dietary restrictions. At The Pakalachian, the vegetarian and vegan options are given the exact same culinary weight and complexity as the proteins.
An Unlikely Pairing: From College to a Food Truck
The masterminds behind this culinary workshop are Mohsin and Katlin Kazmi. Both intelligent, warm, and exuding a calm, focused energy, they are running a wildly innovative business while raising two children.
Interestingly, their backgrounds are not rooted in culinary school. They met at Virginia Tech, where Mohsin studied Professional Helping Skills and Katlin focused on Human Development and Education. Mohsin grew up near the city in northern New Jersey to a family of Pakistani heritage, while Katlin was raised right here in Russell County, Virginia.
Their restaurant empire began with the most casual, organic spark imaginable: leftovers.
When they were first married, Mohsin would cook the traditional Pakistani curries and chickpea dishes of his youth, while Katlin would whip up her grandmother’s Appalachian recipes. On the fourth day of the week, when neither felt like cooking, they simply mixed their leftovers together.
“We just said, man, curry and mashed potatoes are really good together,” Mohsin recalls with a laugh.
Fueled by a relentless work ethic, they emptied a meager savings account in 2017 and bought a hollowed-out, solid-white 1996 Ford Step Van with a massive hole in its side. With their family’s help, they built it from the ground up. They hit the road in April 2018, pulling up to Wolf Hills for their first gig. They lost money that first year, but they kept saying yes to every opportunity, handing out samples, and slowly building a devoted following.
Visual Identity: The Window and the Mural
As their food truck gained traction, they needed an identity. But rather than forcing a corporate brand on them, they let the business speak to them.
They initially brainstormed logos featuring mason jars filled with spices or mountains overlaid with the city of Lahore. Eventually, they looked at the massive circular hole in the side of their 1996 Ford van—the very window they opened and closed to serve their community—and realized they had their logo.
They matched this authentic logo with a stunning aesthetic, hiring a truck artist to paint their van in the vibrant, detailed style of traditional Pakistani cultural art. Unlike the sterile, neutral dead space of major fast-food chains designed to offend no one, the Kazmis created a rolling landmark that makes their brand look vibrant and interesting.
A Shared Agrarian Soul
What elevates The Pakalachian from a clever food concept to a truly profound endeavor is the philosophy driving it. When conceptualizing their menu, Katlin used her background in education to draw a literal Venn diagram. On one side was Appalachian food; on the other, Pakistani.
What they discovered was a beautiful revelation: because Mohsin’s family hails from an agrarian society in Punjab, and Appalachia shares those same deep farming roots, almost all the core ingredients landed right in the overlapping middle.
“If it’s broke, you fix it. It’s all of these common characteristics,” Katlin notes, pointing out the striking similarities in values between the two cultures.
It makes you wonder—what would happen if the rest of the world looked at different cultures through this same lens? Instead of focusing on the margins where we differ, what if we looked at the center of the Venn diagram where our ingredients, our values, and our shared humanity overlap? The Kazmis are quietly proving that when you combine the best of two seemingly different worlds, the result is something stronger, richer, and deeply comforting.
Rooted in Southwest Virginia
The Kazmis are frequently asked why they didn’t launch this concept in a larger, trendier market like Richmond, where volume would undeniably be higher. But for them, moving out of Appalachia would strip the food of its context and its soul.
They want to defy stereotypes often associated with Southwest Virginia, showcasing the beautiful, welcoming community they have experienced firsthand. They have built their brick-and-mortar space in the Commons with complete transparency. The open kitchen allows customers to see the hard work, the pristine cleanliness (boasting a 100 on their county inspection), and the genuine camaraderie of the staff.
In Appalachia, words are cheap, and trust is earned through sweat. Katlin preaches this mentality: “If you want to gain someone’s trust in Appalachia, go put a day’s work in with them. Go bust your tail beside them.” The Kazmis have done exactly that, earning the respect of their staff and the adoration of a community that now lines up at their counter, smiling before they even place an order.
A Legacy for the Next Generation
Running a restaurant is grueling, heavy-lifting work, especially while navigating rising food costs and raising a family. But the Kazmis view this venture as a vibrant “chapter” in their lives.
When debating whether to take the leap into a brick-and-mortar space, a friend asked them a defining question: Do you want your kids to grow up in a place with a Pakistani Appalachian fusion restaurant, or not? They decided they had to be the change they wanted to see. They are raising two children who are quite literally Pakistani-Appalachian, and this restaurant is the ultimate manifestation of telling them exactly where they came from.
The Pakalachian is more than just a place to get an incredible meal. It is a living, breathing testament to what happens when we lead with curiosity, work with mutual respect, and realize that, at our core, we all share the same table.
