By Ruby Asgedome
Growing up as a first-generation Canadian-Ethiopian, I often found it challenging to connect with my roots and integrate my Ethiopian culture with the Western way of life.
As an only child, I found that a lot of my time was spent with my parents, cousins and family who tried their best to help me understand and embrace my roots.
My parents came to Canada around 25 years ago after spending about five years in Greece. This was a time when many Ethiopians left the country in hopes to find education and a new life somewhere other than Ethiopia. It also happened to be the time when Canada was accepting many immigrants.
During my childhood, there was always Ethiopian food being cooked in the house, such as a traditional Ethiopian meal consisting of sourdough-risen flatbread known as injera. It is served with meat and vegetable stews known in the culture as wot.
When my daycare would host their annual multicultural night, my parents would make sure that I was sent in with an abundance of Ethiopian food, some Ethiopian music and that I was dressed head to toe in a kemis — a traditional Ethiopian dress.
Although my parents loved to cook, they also loved going out with the family and enjoying a night out in the town visiting different Ethiopian restaurants. There were many Ethiopian restaurants close to where we lived. Though many of them were located downtown, The Danforth was starting to house more Ethiopian restaurants and businesses.
According to Banchi Kinde — owner of The Danforth’s oldest Ethiopian restaurant Rendez-Vous — she has taken part in petitioning the Danforth Business Improvement Area on numerous occasions to acknowledge the area as Little Ethiopia. Kinde explained that the association stated as of right now, the area doesn’t have enough Ethiopian-owned businesses to be labelled Little Ethiopia.
Ethiopian businesses and restaurants on The Danforth. (CanCulture/Ruby Asgedome)
Rendez-Vous opened its doors in 2001 and is one of the original places where my family and I would go to enjoy injera and coffee, or buna, as Ethiopians call it.
It was the first restaurant I have ever truly enjoyed and embraced my culture within.
On a recent visit to the restaurant, Kinde talked to me about why she picked Toronto and that little strip of The Danforth as the location for her restaurant.
“What makes Toronto unique and amazing is that there is a corner for everybody,” said Kinde. “There’s Greektown, Little Italy, Koreatown, you name it.”
When she opened Rendez-Vous, her goal was for people on the east side of Toronto to have a restaurant that was close to home.
Injera and wot served at Rendez-Vous restaurant. (CanCulture/Ruby Asgedome)
Rendez-Vous’ menu, featuring common Ethiopian vegetarian options. (CanCulture/Ruby Asgedome)
Emebet Asegidew, a Rendez-Vous employee, immigrated to Canada in 2015 and has been working at the restaurant ever since.
Asegidew had to try and get familiar with Canadian culture after moving to Toronto from a different country. When she first arrived, finding Ethiopian food wasn’t hard since she lived downtown near the influx of Ethiopian restaurants.
“Downtown Toronto had a big Ethiopian community at the time and Bloor and Ossington was where people would normally go to eat when they first came here,” said Asegidew.
Another staple of Ethiopian food is Mocha Café and Pastry, located right near the Danforth and Monarch Park intersection. They serve Ethiopian coffee and desserts to many Toronto residents.
Azeb Yehdego, a Mocha Café employee, came to Canada 10 years ago. She lived with her sister near Bloor and Ossington, which is where she went to enjoy all things Ethiopian.
“Though the restaurants downtown are fun to go to, the Danforth is where most Ethiopians now spend their days and nights to get a taste of Ethiopia,” said Yehdego.
Growing up in Toronto has been a long journey of understanding myself, my family and my culture and through it all, this little strip of the Danforth has played a huge role in who I am today and how much of my culture I’ve grown to embrace.