SACRAMENTO, Calif — Hanita Alyu, the owner of Abyssinia Ethiopian Restaurant, says she's living her dream of sharing her culture through food. Her business is nestled in the corner of a shopping center off Fulton Avenue in Arden Arcade.
"It's called Abyssinia. It means Ethiopia," said Alyu.
She works alongside her husband and her mother, Nigatwa Woldetsadik.
Woldetsadik runs the kitchen and prepares traditional Ethiopian cuisine. It includes the freshly made injera bread eaten with every meal.
"I grew up eating the food and cooking it with my mom, so I was like, 'Why not open up a restaurant?' So that's how we took over this place," said Alyu.
But that wasn't always the plan. Her initial goal was to open a daycare after studying child and adolescent development at Sacramento State University. When the original owner of the restaurant decided to retire, Alyu stepped in.
Ethiopian traditions influence the food and how it's served.
"With the food, everybody eats together, so it's like family-style. You don't have your own plate. When it's served, it'll be like in a big plate and everybody will sit around and share," said Alyu.
To stay authentic, Abyssinia only uses spices and coffee imported from Ethiopia. The spices are just as colorful as the varieties of food served at the restaurant.
"The most popular food here is the Grand Sampler. It's a different variety of veggies and meat dishes. There is some spice to it. There's mild dishes (and) there are some vegetarian dishes," said Alyu.
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This Black History Month, she's taking pride in her culture and her country. She says it means a great deal to have a month representing the Black community.
"Because it will show different cultures and then different restaurants, let's say different places that are Black-owned, that you can go and see or shop or eat. It's important because you don't get to see that throughout the year a lot," said Alyu.
Although it may have been nerve-racking in the beginning to start a business, Alyu says taking the risk has paid off.
"Before this, I used to think people wouldn't enjoy our food. But starting this and seeing people enjoying it and then they come in and they're like, 'Oh, we love this food.' And it's so satisfying because they're sharing what I'm feeling," said Alyu.
Coffee, originally found in Ethiopia, also plays a big role in Alyu's culture.
Abyssinia offers a traditional coffee ceremony in which a host will first roast the coffee beans by hand. Incense is also burned as the coffee brews and then a younger person will pour the coffee, starting with the eldest and then everyone else sitting in a circle socializing.
Alyu says it's a different scene than what most people may picture when they think of Ethiopia.
"Ethiopia, it's a beautiful country, never been colonized. We kept our tradition, our food. It's the same food that's been cooked for years," said Alyu.
In honor of Black History Month, she invites people to step out of their comfort zone and keep an open mind when it comes to trying new food.
"I want them to leave happy because it's a wonderful food. I have a lot of customers, they come in for the first time and they enjoy it because it's very flavorful. I want the customer to leave (and) be like, 'Oh, I remember that place. It's the best food, the best culture,'" said Alyu.
She suggests taking a look at Abyssinia's online menu as a way to learn more about Ethiopian cuisine. The restaurant is open from Tuesday through Sunday. It's located at 1346 Fulton Ave.
