http://www.mercurynews.com/eat-drink-play/ci_29264590/alameda-injera-restaurant-develops-popular-following?source=rss
Alameda: Injera Restaurant develops popular following
By Janet Levaux
Correspondent
POSTED: 12/16/2015 04:47:35 PM PST0 COMMENTS| UPDATED: ABOUT 6 HOURS AGO
ALAMEDA -- Injera Restaurant has developed a popular following on the
Island since it opened on Park Street this summer, and owner Aron
Haile says he hopes this success will continue.
"It's always been a passion of mine to open a business, especially a
restaurant or coffee shop," said Haile, who grew up in Eritrea, a
country that officially split from Ethiopia in the early 1990s after
decades of fighting. (Both countries have equally large Christian and
Muslim populations.)
Injera is the spongy sourdough bread made of fermented grains such as
barley and teff that is central to cooking in the Horn of Africa. The
bread is served with different spicy stews, or wat, that feature a
variety of vegetables, beans and meats. Haile, an Alameda resident
whose two children attend Haight Elementary School, made dishes that
were quickly gobbled up at the school's potluck events.
"It would go like this," he explained, snapping his fingers. "People
liked it so much and kept asking when I would make more of it."
Although a partnership deal to open the restaurant in Alameda earlier
this year fell through, his family members and friends urged him to
continue with the venture.
"They said I had to do this, so we worked together and made it
happen," the owner stated.
Haile knows a lot about hard work. Before opening Injera, he ran a
trucking business. He was inspired to switch careers by relatives who
own an Ethiopian restaurant in Oakland.
"I'm glad to have started this business on Park Street," Haile said.
"It's a great location."
The restaurant draws a good crowd from around Alameda and the Bay Area.
Received on Wed Dec 16 2015 - 22:58:42 EST