A little slice of home

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/10/2020 (2160 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Gohe has always been Mekete Zewde’s home away from home, but last year, the small Ethiopian restaurant on Notre Dame Avenue became a member of the family.

Zewde, 37, emigrated to Winnipeg from Ethiopia ten years ago. It was a jarring shift for the former public prosecutor, but he found comfort in the familiar flavours and community at Gohe.

When original owner Elias Kebede opened the restaurant in 2011, Zewde started spending so much time here he became an unofficial staff member.

“In my free time I would come and have a coffee, if it was the weekend I would have beer with him… he’s like a brother to me,” he says of Kebede. “We became good friends and he showed me everything and how to cook.”

Zewde bought the restaurant last year and has been grateful for his friend’s mentorship.

“There are times that we don’t see a single customer in two to three hours, so he always told me that that’s how business is… you’ll get the money tomorrow,” he says. “I learned from him that I don’t have to be in a rush or something, I have to be patient.”

The advice has been especially pertinent during the pandemic. With the dining room capacity cut in half, business has slowed and the restaurant has had to pivot to takeout and delivery orders.

“We used to serve customers and there was a smile everywhere,” he says. “We understand the seriousness of the situation and we know why customers are staying home and not coming out… we can’t do anything about it.”

Zewde has a hand in everything at Gohe, from working in the kitchen to serving tables to managing staff. His wife, Hiwot, also helps out with the paperwork and shopping after dropping their kids, ages one and four, off at daycare.

“It’s my life, it’s my source of income, it’s also my pleasure,” he says. “I always think about this place when I go home, like, ‘I have to do this, I have to change that or I have to start making a new food’… (but) I don’t take it as stressful, I take it as day-to-day life.”

Eva Wasney: What’s your cooking background, do you have any formal training?

Mekete Zewde: When I was back home, my mom was my inspiration and she was the one who taught me how to cook Ethiopian food. And this is what makes me happy, like cooking and serving all my friends. That’s where I got my experience of cooking.

Eva Wasney: Was food a big part of your family growing up?

Mekete Zewde: Yes, in our community, in the Ethiopian way, there are a lot of social gatherings and a lot of holidays. We celebrate our holidays with food… family will gather at least four or five times a year for the holidays. So we know how to cook food.

There’s a dish called kitfo, which is sliced marinated beef, and we use special butters that are famous in Ethiopia, we call it kibe. (My mom) has a different way of making the kibe… with cardamom and some other spices. So we use that butter to make our food.

Eva Wasney: Was running a restaurant always something you wanted to do?

Mekete Zewde: Yeah, because I love serving customers and I love cooking and I love when customers say it’s good food, (it) is something that makes me happy. It’s not about the money. So whenever they’re satisfied, I’m satisfied so it’s not only monetary — the satisfaction is deep inside.

Eva Wasney: What are your goals for the restaurant?

Mekete Zewde: I want my place to be a symbol for East Africa, it’s called an Ethiopian restaurant but it’s not only Ethiopians’ restaurant. It’s Eritreans’ restaurant, it’s Somalis’ restaurant and we have a lot of white customers coming here and we have Filipino and Chinese customers and I like that. I introduced my culture and I learn from them too, so I want to keep it that way.

Eva Wasney: What is your proudest moment so far as a chef and business owner?

Mekete Zewde: Owning my own business. I’m proud of helping my family and I’m considered a place to spend time by my community, so everybody comes here. They can come and share ideas; talk about Canadian politics, American politics, back home politics.

Eva Wasney: As an immigrant, why do you think it’s important for other newcomers to have a place like this in the city, where they can have food from back home and chat with other people in the community?

Mekete Zewde: Whenever they come from Africa, by the time they get here, their life is completely different — they have to start living by themselves, there is work, they have to get up early in the morning and some of them have to do nighttime (shifts) and all the other stuff is different from Africa. So there is times that they need to relax and think about those good things that they left back home. I want them to come here and feel the same way as they did back home, that’s my priority.

Eva Wasney: Have you noticed more interest from the public in Ethiopian or East African cuisine?

Mekete Zewde: Yeah, we have seen a lot of new customers coming in and they say (we) have a unique food here and they love our veggie combos or our meat combos. Some of them become customers who come here once or twice a week.

Eva Wasney: How would you describe your food for someone who never tried Eithiopian?

Mekete Zewde: It’s something that has to be tried… it’s not like one thing. If you order a veggie combo, you get six or seven pairs of veggies in one dish. And it’s very healthy and you don’t feel stuffed when you eat it.

It’s spicy, but it’s not as spicy as everybody thinks. You can handle the spices that are in it.

 

 

Eva Wasney: Where do you get inspiration for new dishes?

Mekete Zewde: I have one example that I have to mention. I have a friend who always comes in and it was last year and he had the flu. And he said he wants to eat something that will help to cure his flu. I thought about it for a bit and it reminded me of my mom cooking a spicy dish and I tried to make it and it became a famous dish, so we added it on the menu. We call it kochkocha, it’s spicy tibs (a seasoned meat dish).

Whenever somebody comes in and says (they want) something I try to relate it with my mom or think what was the one that she used to do for me?

Eva Wasney: And does it work?

Mekete Zewde: It works, I know the kochkocha sting. Yeah it’s very spicy, it’s very hot and it gives relief and helps you recover fast from the flu.

Eva Wasney: Outside of the restaurant, what kinds of things do you like to do to relax?

Mekete Zewde: Spending time with my kids is my favorite thing. My restaurant is closed on Monday, I did that purposefully to spend time with my kids and my wife. So… going shopping, a walk, playing around in the playground.

Eva Wasney: Do you have any hobbies?

Mekete Zewde: Watching movies used to be my hobby, but you know what, since I started my restaurant I haven’t watched a single movie with my family so I miss that.

 

 

Eva Wasney: What kinds of movies do you like to watch together?

Mekete Zewde: Me and my wife like investigative movies… and we love watching movies from back home on YouTube.

I used to be a public prosecutor for the (Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission of Ethiopia). It’s a government office… so something that involves law and investigations interests me and my wife has the same interests as mine. And other than that, listening to music.

Eva Wasney: What kind of music do you listen to?

Mekete Zewde: My country’s music, slow music. There’s a singer called Mahmoud Ahmed and he’s my favourite. If you come into my restaurant you may listen to him because I let him play all the time.

Eva Wasney: Do you have a favourite restaurant in Winnipeg that you like to eat at?

Mekete Zewde: Mongo’s (Grill) is my favourite. Most of the time on Mondays I go to Mongo’s with my family. From four or five Mondays, at least two I go to Mongo’s.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

eva.wasney@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @evawasney