February 2024

CELEBRATING 4 YEARS AT DELINAS

Welcome to our first blog post!! I know most of you call me Delina 😉, however my name is Nazareth. When thinking of different names, ‘Delina’ felt like the perfect fit, because all we wanted was to share our tasty food with the world. ‘Delina’ means ‘to desire’ in Tigrinya; which is a Semitic language spoken in the Tigray Region of Northern Ethiopia and in Eritrea.

Just 4 years ago, we briefly opened our doors before Covid lockdown. Despite the crazy journey we embarked on, we managed to open back up again to serve the community… and WE ARE STILL HERE !!! Now that it has been 4 years, we are reflecting on everything we have been through and how we got to where we are now.

Before Delinas opened, we had been working from home, hiring community kitchens for our cooking classes, an selling our ready made meals and spices at summer fairs and community organizations. We were beginning to grow bigger and because our brand already had some exposure, we knew we needed a more appropriate space where everything could come together. 

We started exploring different spaces and kitchens to create a place for people to come and experience some authentic Ethiopian cuisine and culture. It was love at first sight when we saw Arch 176 in Shepherds Bush Market…. A perfect match!

Being in a market meant we would be able to source everything locally, and this continues to be such a blessing! We continue to import some of our harder-to-find ingredients from Ethiopia to serve a true authentic taste. 

Moving to this space gave us the opportunity to share Ethiopian coffee with the community, sell our products, teach cooking classes and host special events all under the same roof. Sharing what we have to offer has made us feel so much closer to home! Looking back on these past 4 years, we couldn’t be more grateful for all the love and blessings that enter our door every day. We are so thankful for all the people who have made this possible and to all the people who continue to support our small business. 

Nazareth and Team Delina