Das Ethiopian has been in Georgetown for eight years, though Alifom’s dream to have his own restaurant was one that he had for quite some time. “I’ve always loved restaurants,” he said.

Alifom came to the United States from Ethiopia when he was 16 years old. He said that he always worked in restaurants while he was in school. Upon graduation from high school, he worked for Marriott Hotels for more than 20 years, including in Washington, D.C.

Food is an important part of Ethiopian culture, said Alifom. He explained that all of the different ethnic peoples in Ethiopia can be unified through food: “We are one Ethiopia.”

In the 1970s and 1980s, Ethiopian eateries were emerging, but Alifom remembers when there wasn’t an Ethiopian food scene. “There was nothing going on in Washington, D.C.,” he said.