Photo Credit: Wall Street Journal
Hot Bread Kitchen Incubator alumni, Hiyaw Gebreyohannes, is bringing his Ethiopian fast-casual restaurant, Gorsha, to Chelsea Market through Hot Bread Kitchen. On May 25, Gorsha will open their second location in Hot Bread Kitchen’s permanent pop-up space in the historic Chelsea Market food hall.
Growing up in his parent’s Ethiopian restaurant in Canada, Hiyaw developed an appreciation for the flavors and spices of the cuisine at an early age. It was in his family’s restaurant kitchen, where Hiyaw learned his first lessons in both cooking and business.
Pulling from some of his earliest memories eating his mother’s aromatic home-cooked Ethiopian meals, Hiyaw founded his first food business: A Taste of Ethiopia. At the Hot Bread Kitchen Incubator, Hiyaw honed his skills as he produced healthy, vegan ready-to-eat lunchboxes packed with misir (peppery slow cooked red lentils) and gomen (Southern-style collard greens spiced with cardamon and ajwain). Using his family’s recipes as inspiration, Hiyaw says his food is a “marriage of tradition with healthy eating —and a hearty helping of soul.”
Hot Bread Kitchen’s Head of Small Business, Kobla Asamoah, shares, “Hiyaw exhibits all of the qualities we look for in a successful chef-entrepreneur: flexibility and ability to pivot, ability to identify a market niche, and strength in execution.”
Photo Credit: Gorsha
At Gorsha, Hiyaw serves Ethiopian staples and build-your-own bowls featuring berbere spiced chicken, yellow split peas, and turmeric rice. Gorsha’s Chelsea Market pop-up will feature new Ethiopian specials and collaborations with other members of the Hot Bread Kitchen community. “Our goal is to make Ethiopian food more accessible,” says Hiyaw. “At Chelsea Market, we will gain exposure with New York’s longstanding foodie scene and tourists from around the world.”
The new Chelsea Market Hot Bread Kitchen space will feature a rotating selection of food entrepreneurs. As one of the few nonprofit incubators in the country, Hot Bread Kitchen’s incubator offers access to affordable shared commercial kitchen space, business development support and mentorship, access to market and networks, and a culinary community.
Gorsha at Chelsea Market will be open daily from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. through October 31.
