A TASTE OF ABYSSINIA: Ethiopian & Eritrean Cuisine

All-Inclusive Tickets for the Dinner, Film screening of FAYA DAYI, and Curated Beverages are $65. Free entry to the dinner and film for facilitators and participants of the GRRLS TO THE FRONT workshops at The Stone Church! Doors for the screening open at 5pm, Film begins at 5:15pm, The Networking Dinner Party by A Taste of Abyssinia, (Semifinalist for the 2023 James Beard Award!) will be held after the film at 7:30pm.

ABOUT THE CUISINE: Ethiopia and Eritrea are countries in the horn of Africa. The two staple components of this authentic cuisine are injera and berbere. Injera is a staple food, usually made from teff flour, and it is unique to both countries. It is a fermented, sourdough flatbread served with variety of stews & curries of meats and veggies, also called wet, on top. Berbere is a traditional spice blend that is the backbone of Ethiopian & Eritrean cuisine. It’s used in many different dishes, including the national dish, Doro wet (chicken stew). Traditionally, the food is eaten by hand from a common platter, communal dining tradition; don’t be afraid to dig in!

MENU FOR TONIGHT'S FEAST:

1. Curried chicken

2. Spiced lentils

3. Collard greens

4. Ginger cabbage with shredded carrots

5. Injera (fermented bread)

6. Rice (gluten free option)

ABOUT THE CHEF: Alganesh Michael lives in South Burlington with her husband and two daughters. She is a former nurse turned homemaker for the last 16 years. Although not a chef by trade, Alganesh loves to cook and entertain family and friends. Over the past 6 years, she has been working in collaboration with many local restaurants, as well as in schools and various communities, to introduce authentic Ethiopian & Eritrean cuisine to Vermont. Ethiopian & Eritrean cooking relies on a diverse range of herbs and roots to develop characteristics quintessential to the cuisine. Alganesh cooks in a traditional way with authentic spices, served on a large, family-style platter atop of Injera. Injera is unique staple food to both countries and also serves as an edible utensil. It’s best known as a spongy sourdough flatbread; one can’t really have an authentic Ethiopean/Eritean feast without it!

ABOUT THE FILM: FAYA DAYI (2021, 120 mins). Ethiopian legend has it that khat, a stimulant leaf, was found by Sufi Imams in search of eternity. Inspired by this myth, Faya Dayi is a sublime cinematic work of personal vision by the Mexican Ethiopian filmmaker Jessica Beshir. Through the prism of the khat trade, Faya Dayi weaves a hypnotic tapestry of intimate stories of people caught between violent government repression, khat-induced fantasies and treacherous journeys beyond their borders, and offers a window into the dreams of the youth who long for a better life.

"Like smoky tendrils from a tray of incense, Faya dayi unfurls in a languorous haze. The film is a portal into a woven dream of partial remembrance, timeless mythic cycles, and the present urgencies of migration and the climate crisis." -Criterion