Meet Meriam Ababo, founder of Ethiopian café Ababo’s Cuisine
I came to Bristol from Ethiopia 12 years ago. I love everything about the city. The people are friendly and the city is calm. So many things have changed since I opened the café in Easton Community Centre last year. When Ababo’s Cuisine was previously serving food at markets, people always asked where else they could order my food from. I always wished I had a permanent café somewhere – everyone knows where they can find me now!
Ababo’s Cusine is a way for me to share my traditional food with the local community – the doro wat [chicken stew] and misir wat [red lentil stew] are becoming our most popular dishes to sell. My favourite dish is called ‘beyaynetu’. In Amharic, this translates to ‘combination’ or ‘mixture’. It is smaller portions of the main dishes, all served together on one big tray on a base of injera. Injera is a fermented flatbread made from teff flour, which is naturally gluten-free and healthy for your gut. I love this meal because it is colourful, appetising and looks beautiful to eat. It fills me with happy memories of my mum’s kitchen.
I love cooking for other people and seeing them enjoy the food. It fills me with joy. I can never get tired of cooking. Running the café has allowed me to share my food and the authentic flavours of Ethiopia with a larger audience. The community support so far has been overwhelming, I have lots of positive feedback and repeat customers!
When I’m not cooking, I enjoy spending time with my family. On a Sunday, we gather together to drink coffee in a traditional coffee ceremony. I make the coffee fresh with roasted beans. Traditionally, this is done with charcoal, but in the UK, because of fire alarms, we make it on the stove. Once the coffee is made, we all sit together and connect. It makes us feel like we are back home.
My favourite place to go and eat food in Bristol is Lona [a Lebanese grill house on Gloucester Road]. The food is delivered on a large tray designed for sharing. It is a similar culture where we value sharing and eating together. The service is always good and the staff are friendly. I also love going to anywhere in the countryside with my family and close friends. I like seeing green all around me – it makes me feel happy, calms my mind and resets me from the busy city life.
I work closely with Eastside Community Trust and I am involved in many of their community events. I was recently asked to make 300 samosas for a community event run by Eastside and ACH [an organisation providing tailored refugee and migrant support services] – my hands were sore! I try to keep the prices of my meals in the café as low as possible to reach a wide range of community members. Soon, I’m hoping to grow my business and hire people from the local community to support me.
Ababo’s Cuisine is open at Easton Community Centre, Kilburn Street, BS5 6AW Tuesday to Friday (9am to 5pm) and Saturday (10am to 4pm).
eastsidecommunitytrust.org.uk | ach.org.uk | @ababoscuisine
Image credit: Evoke Pictures
