http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/bella/2014/04/aisha_tedros_2014_big_brain_finalist.php
Aisha Tedros of A.T. Oasis Coffee and Tea Shop: 2014 Big Brain Awards
Finalist, Culinary Arts (VIDEO)
By Lauren Saria Tue., Apr. 1 2014 at 8:00 AM
You submitted nominations for awards given to the Valley's emerging
creatives, and the results are in. Introducing our 2014 Big Brain finalists.
Leading up to the Big Brain Award announcement and Artopia on April 25,
Jackalope Ranch and Chow Bella will introduce the finalists. Up today:
Aisha Tedros.
"Anyone can do it," Aisha Tedros says as she prepares a cup of strong
coffee flavored with ground ginger, a specialty from her hometown in
Africa. "I was always told that about America, and it's true."
Tedros moved the United States 12 years ago from Keren, the second largest
city in Eritrea, a small eastern African country that's just north of
Ethiopia. Back then, she spoke no English and could neither read nor write.
Like so many others, she came in search of the American Dream, having grown
up being told that in America anyone can be anything they want.
Tedros taught herself to speak English, and these days you can hardly get
her to stop. The coffee shop owner switches back and forth with ease
between English and the six African languages she also speaks. Tedros says
her innate chattiness always set her apart from other Eritrean women. It's
part of the reason she says America immediately felt like home.
"When I got here, I called my mom and said, 'Everyone here is like me!,'"
she says with a laugh.
Before opening A.T. Oasis Coffee and Tea Shop in Phoenix with her husband
Abdul, Tedros spent years working as a server at Mimi's Cafe at Mesa's
Fiesta Mall. A framed letter from the restaurant's manager sits on a shelf
inside the shop. It thanks Tedros for her years of service and commends her
for exceptional customer service.
It's still one of her strongest assets as a small business owner.
For picturs and video click here
http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/bella/2014/04/aisha_tedros_2014_big_brain_finalist.php
Received on Tue Apr 01 2014 - 13:18:18 EDT