Marayani Thism loves to enjoy the District’s restaurant scene and feels blessed to live in the Petworth neighborhood in Northwest so she can be close to many establishments.
On June 7, she and a friend from Baltimore, Karthik Vempati, decided to go out to eat at one of her favorite nearby restaurants, Tsehay Ethiopian Restaurant and Bar, located in the ethnically diverse, bustling Adams Morgan neighborhood in Northwest.
“This is the third time I have been here,” said Thism, 25. “This restaurant comes highly rated with its Michelin review and I like its menu that has vegetarian offerings. The food here is authentic and meets my dietary needs.”
Thism did not express shock when finding out that the eatery has been nominated for a RAMMY, the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington’s (RAMW) awards, for Casual Restaurant of the Year (for 2024).
“You get good food at a good price here and the atmosphere is pleasant,” she said.
While the winner will not be announced until Aug 3., during the annual RAMMYS gala at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Northwest, D.C, Tsehay co-owner Thewodros Yirdaw was also pleased at the nomination.
“We were blown away when we heard about it,” Yirdaw, 41, said. “We are very grateful and glad that Ethiopian food is getting the recognition it deserves.”
The Story Behind Tsehay
Tsehay is the name of Yirdaw’s mother-in-law, mother of his wife Selam Gossa.
“Tsehay grew up in Harragie, Ethiopia and learned how to cook traditional Ethiopian food while helping her mother in the kitchen,” he said. “As she grew older and could work, she began working with Greek and Japanese immigrants to diversify and further hone her cooking skills and became passionate for food.”
Yirdaw said Tsehay married and moved to Ethiopia’s capital city, Addis Ababa, and opened a café to support her four children. He noted that his mother-in-law did not purchase spices but instead made everything they served by hand.
Yirdaw said he and his wife left Addis Ababa in 2001 to come to the U.S.
Yirdaw’s family are a part of a large contingent of Ethiopians and Ethiopian Americans that number slightly over 200,000 in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, the largest gathering of its type outside of Africa.
“We came to the United States for a better life,” he said. “We wanted financial security. We wanted to have a simple job.”
The Tsehay Experience
In a nod to her mother, Gossa makes berbere, kibe and shiro (chickpea flour stew) in the kitchen from ingredients she purchases and cobbles together instead of purchasing the food prepackaged.
“Let me say that we authentically prepare our food,” Yirdaw said. “We know there are other Ethiopian restaurants, and they do what they do, but when they say they prepare their food authentically, I think they use the term loosely.”
Yirdaw said his wife prepared teff injera— a popular bread-like food that is popular in Ethiopia— by hand and is not pre-packaged. He said other food items are also cooked by hand and done a certain way.
Another hallmark of the Tsehay experience is eating without silverware. Customers pick up the food with their fingers and consume it.
When customers new to that eating technique raise concerns, Yirdaw points out other customs at some restaurants.
“When you go to a Chinese restaurant, you use chopsticks,” he said. “Using your hands to eat is the easiest thing you can do. We have plenty of napkins if you need them.”
The tibs that consist of various meats such as beef are offered to the customer, lamb and beef stews and the vegan combination platter—a favorite of Thism— offers six dishes to be sampled at one time.
Vempati, Thism’s friend, was impressed with his visit to Tsehay, speaking well of the service and the tastiness of the food.
“This place is awesome,” he said. “The food was filling, and it is a nice place to have a meal.”
