Rundassa Eshete found freedom in Utah, and a link to his East African culture — which he shares through his new restaurant, Oromian.
A meat and vegetable platter at Oromian Restaurant on State Street in Salt Lake City, Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022., the Ethiopian restaurant at 1522 S. State St. in Salt Lake City, was once a scruffy storefront with dropped ceilings, cinder block walls and the words “MR. PAWN” painted in bright yellow letters across the building’s front.
The walls now are covered with warm wood panels, and hung with African art. The dining room is decorated with traditional East African objects, including traditional mosob cooking baskets. “This new system we borrowed from Europe destroyed [Gada],” he said. “My dad went to prison because he owned a lot of land, and many of my siblings were killed, and we lost our home and many people were killed. Lots of young people were killed by the Communist group. So I grew up under the Communist system, disliking it.”
Ethiopian mesob baskets on display at Oromian Restaurant on State Street in Salt Lake City, Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022.Eshete, when speaking about his birthplace, uses the phrase “the Ethiopian state,” rather than “Ethiopia.” He explained that the nation is made up of more than 80 different ethnic groups, including his people,, who speak their own language. They also practice their own traditional religion, Waaqeffanna.
When he first moved to America, Eshete shed his Ethiopian name, Alemayehu, because he was free to express his Oromian identity without fear.
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