My Own Personal Story About Yenni Desta and Why You Should Check Out Her Restaurant Now

By Scott Reitz Thu., Mar. 14 2013 at 7:00 AM

Categories: Food News

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This week I took a break from judging the finer points of food construction to talk with Tizeta Getachew. We sat in her restaurant last week as she told me about the events that led up to her quitting a promising career at a domestic violence shelter so she could run a restaurant that she hopes will one day provide for her orphaned nephew.

See also:
- Desta Rises Above Sadness

The murder of Yared Lemma and his wife, Yenni Desta, was widely covered by local news, and the arrest of suspect Abey Belette Girma received a good bit of attention, too. Meanwhile the family left behind by Yared and Yenni have been quietly grieving and then setting out to rebuild.

I met Yenni Desta in the summer of 2011. I was sitting at the bar at Desta, eating doro wat, when I asked about the source of her injera, the buckwheat bread served with every Ethiopian meal. We talked a lot about bread baking, what makes for good ethnic cooking, and the Ethiopian dining scene in Dallas. It was odd for me to write such an emotional story while vividly remembering that conversation.

Getachew and her sister Yemi Lemma are quick to point out that they're working very hard to keep Desta just as it was when their brother owned the restaurant. But Desta changed a little since I visited almost two years ago. The menu's been tweaked and and quirky pasta dishes and burgers and sandwiches have been removed. Streamlining the menu, (which happened just after I'd originally dined in the restaurant) was a good move. If there's a time to try out Desta, it's now.

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