Amen Ethiopian is open in Spokane Valley! Hallelujah!

This Monday, I (Feast co-founder Ross Carper) met for lunch with Omy Karorero, a friend from Rwanda who has cooked in our chef program and performed his reggae music at events with us.

The restaurant we chose was Amen Ethiopian in the Spokane Valley Mall — Chef Hibra’s new family-owned business she launched this spring. We were excited to see a line of hungry people waiting for her delicious, freshly made Ethiopian cuisine, and we were not disappointed when it was our turn (you won’t be disappointed either if you join us for lunch or dinner today, 8/28/24 — Hibra is our guest Chef Partner)! 

Only and I ordered the Hibra’s combo (of course) to scoop up the best “wot” stews with her fresh injera bread. We also couldn’t resist a turkey melt with Pete Roy crisp fries: even this accessible American-type plate came with Hibra’s unforgettable fry sauce that features her Ethiopian Berbere spice mix. Obviously we started the meal by trying one of each of her sambusas—beef, chicken, and lentil. We sat and ate and enjoyed conversation for over an hour, devouring every bite of our Feast.

“It’s been an amazing journey,” Hibra says. “We’re the first Ethiopian restaurant ever in Spokane Valley, and we’ve had a positive turnout so far. Midsummer had some slow days, but we are picking back up now!”

Amen Ethiopian is open in the Spokane Valley Mall food court seven days a week! The whole family is involved, and you can also find them at the Perry Street Thursday Market (3-7pm, 1000 S Perry St) and periodically in our restaurant at Feast World Kitchen! We don’t know how they do it all!

“Every day we are meeting new people, many of whom have never tried Ethiopian or Eritrean cuisine,” Hibra shares. “And many of them have loved it, and come back for more!” 

When asked about her favorite recurring customer, Hibra immediately shares a story about a woman from Montana who was visiting the mall and decided to try her Ethiopian food for the first time. She loved it so much, she drove all the way back from Montana weeks later to enjoy her birthday dinner at Amen Ethiopian!

“For me, this means a lot that she wanted to drive so far to join us for an authentic special meal,” Hibra shares. “I always want to have a standard of the freshest homemade food, with high quality ingredients: if I wouldn’t put it on my family’s table, I’m not selling it to the people!”

Hibra is continuing to solidify her place in the Spokane Valley food scene, including at the upcoming ValleyFest. At Feast, we don’t take credit for the small businesses our chef partners launch. We have played our role walking alongside them and creating a space for learning job/career/business skills together. We provide a warm and supportive community, and a platform for market testing unique culturally significant food products. We are SO PROUD of all our chef partners, whether they ultimately decide to launch businesses or not. 

Will you go patronize Amen Ethiopian soon? Enjoy your meal, and let Hibra and her family know that Feast sent you!