Thunder Mountain Curry returns to its roots, firing up new era

For the past 21 years, Thunder Mountain Curry owner Mike Gordon has been an integral part of the Troy community. Known for his impeccable cooking and positive attitude, Gordon has impacted students, families, and community members alike and provided a cheery sense of community alongside his sous chef, Mike Meade. TMC has always been distinguishable from its good smells, personable and dependable ‘theme days’ on Fridays, where the two Mikes oftentimes wore fun hats and played movies out front.

In 2008, Gordon was invited to run TMC from the Union’s second floor food court instead of a sidewalk stall. When the food court was converted into a Panera ten years later, TMC moved downstairs to share a space with Halal Shack, an arrangement that Gordon chose to allow manageable working hours for himself and Meade. However, the decision this past summer to renovate Rathskeller in the Rensselaer Union led to a pivot in TMC’s trajectory. Halal Shack was offered full access to the shared space while TMC was offered the stall formerly occupied by Ben and Jerry’s. The stall, located next to the Rathskeller women’s bathroom, lacked gas stoves which was not ideal for TMC’s operations.

After much consideration, Gordon decided to not accept the offer. While the Rathskeller was being renovated for new restaurants, Gordon spent the summer making plans and obtaining permits. Now, the Mikes have jumped into a new era of Thunder Mountain Curry, expanding upon projects they were not able to pursue from within RPI. The duo now spend a few days on the corner of 15th Street and Sage Avenue and have returned to the Troy Farmers Market on Saturdays for the first time since they stopped in 2018. Gordon, additionally, works alongside the Troy nonprofit organization Capital Roots to prepare food and develop projects such as pop ups, catering, and packaged food that he had been dreaming of for years. He has also been developing his own line of vegan curries.

Gordon was adamant about the fact he was forever grateful for his journey with RPI, even if his personal projects were put on hold sometimes. “It wasn’t to make money, it wasn’t to get rich. I just wanted to take care of myself and take care of everybody here,” he stated humbly when asked about his time sharing the business. He and Meade possess a refreshingly humble outlook on their time working, continuously emphasizing their goal to simply be there for the students and the community. In doing so, the two have become integral parts of RPI and the culture.

I spoke with Gordon recently on his new changes as he readied for a new day of selling outside under a large white tent. Packages of vermicelli noodles were spread out on plastic tables, garnishes sat prepped on another, and a whiteboard proudly advertising the specials faced the front. Gordon was ecstatic about the world of opportunity that had opened up for him, showing off the wealth of new dishes he was preparing, even detailing some of his new creations that included the “Bahnmito”, or a Banh Mi Burrito. When asked how things were going, Gordon seemed optimistic about the future. “I’m doing exactly what I want to do, I feel like I’ve jump started my life,” he said happily.

Thunder Mountain Curry updates their Instagram page, Threads, and the RPI Subreddit weekly to notify the community of their whereabouts and new dishes.