Owner: Zelalem Gemmeda Journey: Ethiopia to Yemen to Buffalo (Arr. 2005) Established in 2012 in WEDI's West Side Bazaar Zelalem Gemmeda was born and raised in Ethiopia but relocated to a refugee camp in Yemen due to political unrest. During her 12 years in Yemen, she learned Arabic and worked at a restaurant. Eventually, she was able to purchase and own a restaurant, a rare achievement for a woman in Yemen but she and her husband had to leave for the U.S. She opened Abyssinia Ethiopian Cuisine where she proudly serves authentic Ethiopian cuisine using spices sourced from Ethiopia. Her dishes are meant to be eaten with your hands and the food is particularly popular with vegans. Zelalem said she likes owning her business because she feels connected and involved with the community. She hopes to graduate from the Downtown Bazaar and serve dishes on traditional clay plates from her birth country. You’ll often find her husband G. and their daughter Feben working with her at the restaurant. “That’s why I have a restaurant-to make people happy (with what I am serving)”