How Ethiopian restaurant Tesfa shares hope through food

The word family means something different for everyone. For Samuel Sake, co-owner of Tesfa Ethiopian Cuisine, family means hope. 

“We want people to share their hope with one another,” Sake expressed. 

Hope is shared over a traditional platter of Ethiopian food freshly prepared in-house: injera bread (a sponge-like flatbread made from teff flour), topped with various small servings of cooked vegetables (like collard greens and sauteéd potatoes) and proteins (such as spiced lentils or meat stew). 

A traditional platter of Ethiopian food. Photo by Lydia Schultz

Diners can eat Ethiopian-style with their hands, while drinking Tesfa’s signature drink, “Momma T,” named for the woman who is the inspiration behind the restaurant.  

Tesfa’s signature drink, Momma-Tea, or T, inspired by the Sake brothers’ mom. Photo courtesy of Tesfa Ethiopian Restaurant

Samuel Sake began Tesfa so that Momma T, his mother, would no longer have to work. 

“I did this all for my mother. I just didn’t want her to work for anybody else,” Samuel Sake said.

When Momma T came to the United States, she worked as a housekeeper in Chicago’s Loop area. She knew very little English. 

After saving up enough money, Momma T went back to Ethiopia to bring Samuel Sake, along with his brother, Moses Sake, to Chicago, and began working as a cook for a Chinese-Ethiopian fusion restaurant. 

“It wasn’t easy for her working for other people, or me, watching as a son,” Samuel Sake said. “I knew her food was great and she loved cooking. I believed in my mom, so I decided to open Tesfa.”  

Tesfa started in 2016 and was located in a smaller site not far from their current location in Uptown. 

Moses Sake, co-owner and head chef of Tesfa, recalled that business was initially very slow. 

It was very sad, said Moses.  

There was a point when Moses Sake wanted to leave the restaurant industry, but he was dissuaded by his older brother, Samuel Sake, who told him to “try one more time.” 

Soon enough, business started to grow — so much so that the surge in demand eventually necessitated a larger interior. 

Samuel Sake spent four years looking for the perfect permanent place for Tesfa, but the move proved more challenging than expected. 

He was ready to quit multiple times, but the encouragement from his family motivated him to keep going until finally, he stumbled upon the present-day establishment. 

Like the light he was for his brother, hope illuminated Samuel Sake’s path forward. 

“Hope said, ‘Don’t give up, you’re almost there.’ So here we are,” Samuel said, smiling.  

The word “tesfa” means “hope” in Amharic, the predominant language of Ethiopia. 

Diners are greeted with an entire wall that conveys this message, painted with candle flames, flowers and outstretched fingertips that surround a flame between the words: “Tesfa Cuisine.”

Moses Sake (left) and Samuel Sake (right) stand in front of Tesfa’s wall decor that symbolizes hope. Photo by Lydia Schultz

Tesfa’s gift of Ethiopian flavors has been warmly received. The restaurant has more than 700 reviews on Google, with an average rating of 4.8/5 stars. 

“I may have ruined it for all other Ethiopian restaurants,” one customer wrote on Google reviews. “It felt like eating with family.” 

The centrality of family in Ethiopian culture is evident in the communal eating style and is reflected in the cozy atmosphere of Tesfa.    

Samuel Sake said he wants everyone to feel like they are coming into their family’s home, sharing hope through food, as emphasized by their social media posts captioned with #sharehopetogether. 

Being a family-owned-and-run restaurant means having a strategic plan for delegating responsibilities. After co-running Tesfa together for seven years, the Sake brothers have managed to do so successfully — even after expanding, the restaurant fills with old and new customers.  

Samuel Sake manages the business side of the restaurant, such as Tesfa’s finances and marketing, while Moses Sake handles the food side, often working alone in the kitchen. 

Samuel Sake said that, for the most part, they work well together. However, conflicts sometimes happen. 

“Man,” Moses Sake admitted with a grin. “We get into it. But that’s family. I love working with my brother.”

His older brother agreed. “Being a family restaurant sometimes is easy and hard, but more easy than hard. We know the goal of it,” Samuel Sake said. 

The goal of giving their mom financial freedom is their daily motivation to continue building Tesfa and its community. 

The brothers expect a busy season ahead as the warmer months arrive and are eager to open up their new patio and rooftop dining areas. 

“I signed up for this, so I have to be ready,” Moses Sake said. His trick to flow with the behind-the-scenes-busyness is to “get lost with the sauce.” 

“But the glue,” he emphasized, “is my mom. Without her, we wouldn’t be Tesfa.” 

The interior of Tesfa glows warmly, illuminating the sidewalk from outside. Photo by Lydia Schultz

Header by Apoorv Mahajan