In the Kamm's Corners neighborhood of Cleveland, Habesha Ethiopian & Eritrean Restaurant serves up staple dishes from both countries, inviting diners to sample the flavors of the nations that were brought to Cleveland by three refugees who call Northeast Ohio home.
The restaurant was started by Jamal Musa, his wife Tigist Gebremichael, and their friend Hirityi Weld-esalasi. Musa came to the United States seeking to further his education after leaving Eritrea as a refugee during a time of conflict between the two countries.
"It's not easy to leave your country and come to a stranger's country, but there [was] a need at that time," he said of the war between the countries in the 1990s.
In America, he met Gebremichael and Weld-esalasi, and together they began cooking the cuisines of their two home countries, preparing and sharing the food at farmer's markets in Northeast Ohio.
"It was our passion to cook and it was our dream to have our own business," Musa said.
Seeing the positive response to their food at the markets, and seeing a need for this cuisine on the west side of Cleveland, the three opened their restaurant in 2020, calling it Habesha Ethiopian & Eritrean Restaurant.
Painted on a wall inside the restaurant is the story of Habesha. The message states, "The meaning of Habesha is a word used to refer to both Ethiopian and Eritrean people. Habesha is neither a race, nor an ethnicity, nor a nation. It is a symbol of peace and unity within our community. We at Habesha Ethiopian and Eritrean Restaurant welcome you to join us in this community through the enjoyment of our food."
Isabel Lawrence reports: https://www.wkyc.com/article/life/food/taste-of-home-habesha-ethiopian-eritrean-restaurant-cleveland/95-0b5825ca-a813-44f4-8dbb-709cfd5c1e06 --
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