Genet Agonafer
By Leslee Komaiko
For dineLA.com
Genet Agonafer is one of several Ethiopian restaurateurs with businesses on a stretch of Fairfax just off Olympic Boulevard, otherwise known as Little Ethiopia. Her restaurant, which she opened in 2000, is called, appropriately enough, Meals by Genet. The story of how she went from waitress to caterer to restaurant chef and owner is one that revolves around the good will of two men, one a former customer, the other, her adult son.
How did you end up in Los Angeles?
My son was five years old. Things were not going well in Ethiopia at the time. So I brought my child to raise here [to the United States].
Why Los Angeles?
What happened was I was in New York. The first day I was scared. So we went to Colorado until my son went to high school. Then I moved to La Jolla. Then my son came to Los Angeles to go to Occidental in 1991. That’s what brought me to Los Angeles. I have a wonderful child that opened me this restaurant.
Your son bought you the restaurant?
He graduated from USC Medical School and moved to New York while he was doing his residency. This restaurant came up. I was looking for a catering kitchen. I was never looking for a restaurant. A friend of mine said, “This restaurant is selling da da da.” I was doing catering out of my one bedroom apartment. My son took a cash advance on every credit card he had and bought this restaurant for me.
What restaurant was there before?
Abyssinian. They lasted a year. They worked so hard to build this beautiful place.
This is your first restaurant, yes?
My first anything. I was a waitress in three or four jobs supporting my child.
Are any of those restaurants still around?
The Bel Age (now the London West Hollywood) is where I really got my start. It was the hangout for power breakfast and power lunch. This amazing, incredible guy, Todd Faulkner, he asked me one day (he was always coming there for lunch, his office was nearby), “Genet, you are always very nice to me. I give a lot of parties at home. I’ll pay you to be a server.” I casually said, “Who cooks for you?” He said, “Bring good food for 30 vegetarians.” I said, “Okay.” He’s the one who got me started on the catering.
How did you learn to cook? Did someone teach you?
Nobody. The woman who raised my mother was an amazing cook. I would sit by her and watch her cook. She was out of this world. My mom she cooked, but never as great as that woman.
How did you decide on the name “Meals By Genet” for your restaurant?
It goes back to the same man, Todd. He said, “We’re going to name [the catering company] Meals By Genet because you make different things. You make Italian. You make French.” He’s the one who ordered the card. I said, “Whatever you want. God knows you’re paying for everything.” I decided why bother to change. I had enough business by then. But it wasn’t my idea for sure.
I understand just about everyone mispronounces your name. Are you used to it by now?
No. I always tell people, all my customers, it’s because of Jean Genet. I say it with a hard G. When I check with my guests, if I have time and they say, “Thank you Genet,” [with the incorrect pronunciation], I say, “It’s Genet.” I never get tired of correcting.
How are you weathering the current economy?
Jonathan Gold always gave me all kinds of publicity. I am on everything. He’s a godsend for me. After he put me on the best dishes of 2004—my chicken dish made that list—everyone wanted to write about me. I couldn’t make my chicken fast enough. Every year I am on his list of 99 essential Los Angeles restaurants. That always keeps people coming. Now Yelp is the most amazing thing. Sometimes the amount of people I get with that—sometimes eight out of ten people are from Yelp. What happens is the catering part has slowed down. But with the restaurant I have the normal up and down days.
How did it come to be that just about every Ethiopian restaurant in the city is located within one city block?
What happened was the first one that opened was Rosalind’s, my friend’s restaurant.
In Washington, DC—I don’t know if you’re aware of the Adams Morgan area—when Ethiopians went there it was the worst area. Then maybe like 10 or 12 Ethiopian restaurants came in there and it became the trendiest area. All of them would be completely packed.
This is my own assumption: I guess they thought it would translate the same here. Now it’s named Little Ethiopia and it’s getting its share of publicity.
What distinguishes your restaurant from the others?
I guess you’ll be judge for that.
But the menus are similar yes?
My menus are very short. Other menus are very elaborate. You can order raw meat, which is very traditional Ethiopian, the sheep belly and stuff. They are very popular Ethiopian dishes. I don’t make those. 95% of my clients are Americans. Really the food is cooked exactly as it would be in Ethiopia.
Is the relationship among the Fairfax Ethiopian restaurateurs congenial or competitive or somewhere in between?
Well I happen to be the very arrogant one. I don’t think I have any competition period. When I travel I send all my customers to my best friend’s restaurant, Rosalind’s. I put a sign out, “please go visit him.” I change my answering machine, because why not? We have to help each other. I don’t know most of them because I am so busy cooking here I never step outside.
Ethiopian food is still a novelty for most people. It’s a long way from mainstream. Why is this?
Ethiopian food is one of the most popular foods, very much right up there with Indian or Japanese. People love it, especially if you are vegan.
I know some people are put off by injera (the crepe like bread with which you eat) or the idea of eating with their hands. Do you confront this much?
Yes. We just explain it to them. We offer forks for those people who are, “This is our first time la la la.” Most of the time they don’t touch the forks. Most of the time they are elated. They eat with their hands.
I know you serve some non-Ethiopian dishes.
I make grilled salmon with spinach salad on a bed of pasta, Caesar salad, lightly breaded Italian chicken.
I am sure they are delicious. But it seems kind of goofy to go to an Ethiopian restaurant and order something that isn’t Ethiopian.
It’s very rare. Guess who’s doing it? The Ethiopians. I’m like, “You guys go to the Italian restaurant and order this food.” When it’s slow I can make anything and everything. When it’s busy I say no.
You say no to something on the menu?
They are like, “What?” I am like, “Sorry.” Most of my customers are regulars. If I tell you that, that means it’s impossible. It would mess up the whole service for the whole restaurant.
One day on Yelp a customer said an hour and something he waited. I know that day. Someone ordered chicken and pasta and all the burners were taken by that. I couldn’t do the normal thing. When I do Ethiopian food I am in a rhythm. The rhythm is perfect. That completely throws you off. I apologize like crazy.
Tell me your favorite neighborhood restaurants?
I am one of those people on Monday and Tuesday, I don’t boil water. I pick up Jonathan Gold’s review, from the tiniest place to the best place. I don’t think there’s a restaurant I don’t go to. I used to love love love Amarone next to my house, on Sunset. There are two young chefs, Alessandro and Giuseppe. I stopped eating pasta so I have no business going there. On Robertson there’s this little place Piccolino. Have you had their Numero salad? It’s out of this world. I drive on Cesar Chavez to Tia Mole. She made also, like me, [Jonathan Gold’s] best dishes of 2008, for her mole. It is the most amazing. I have gone there five or six times. There is an adorable restaurant right by my house called Nonna of Italy. The food is very delicious. They have amazing salads.
What would you be doing if you weren’t a chef/restaurateur?
I have always loved loved loved to travel. I would just go to the Amazon and live there. My prayer is I will be a full time grandma. I told my son, you will never need a nanny.
BOOK IT
to LA >>
