SomTaste brings history, influence of many cultures, into cuisine

By JAN WILLMS

SomTaste, a new restaurant that just opened in July at 4757 Hiawatha Ave., brings East African cuisine to the neighborhood. Co-owners Jama Abdikani and Saeed Ugaas, two brothers, have drawn on their grandmother’s recipes to highlight their restaurant’s menu.

“Our grandmom is 95, and she still lives back home,” said Abdikani. He is running the restaurant on his own since his brother just returned to Norway.

“He was here for a month and a half, so he could be here for the grand opening,” Abdikani said.

The two grew up in the hospitality field, as their father owned and operated restaurants in Mogadishu, Somalia. “We were small,” noted Abdikani, “but we helped.” He said he and his brother have been talking about opening a restaurant for the past ten years. “We initially invested in the tracking industry and real estate in Africa, but had always thought about getting back into hospitality.”

Photo right: Jama Abdikani, co-owner of SomTaste. (Photo by Jan Willms)

Abdikani came to the United States in 1993 as a 14-year-old boy, sponsored by his sister who was attending college in Virginia. Family members had fled in different directions from the war zone in Somalia, and he ended up with his sister, attending high school in Arlington, VA. He excelled as a track star, running the mile and cross country. He earned scholarships for college, and he was visiting various schools.

“My uncle in Minnesota convinced me to come and visit him, and I never went back,” Abdikani explained. “I have been in Minnesota since 1997.”

He attended Augsburg College and became one of the first bilingual Hennepin County financial workers. After a few years, he joined a nonprofit and worked there awhile, and for the past 11 years, he worked in human services for Ramsey County.

“I resigned last November to pursue my dream of running a restaurant,” he stated.

SomTaste serves typical East African food. “It is Somalian, but influenced by many different countries, including those who colonized Somalia, such as Italy and the British. We have pasta here, and of course East African. But our food is influenced by many different cultures,” said Abdikani.

Specialties include barbecued chicken, chicken and beef curry, chicken steak and goat meat. “One of the most favorite is an appetizer, Sambusa,” Abdikani said. Sambusa is a triangular pastry filled with spiced vegetables and ground meat.

Abdikani said that every main dish is served with special Somalian rice and spaghetti and cooked kidney beans. “Our food is delicious and fresh and served at a reasonable price.”

Opening the restaurant provided a lot of challenges, according to Abdikani. “I don’t know if I can pinpoint one,” he commented. “Running a restaurant here is very different from what my father did in Somalia.”

“First, we had to find a location. We were initially looking in St. Paul, along University Ave. between Snelling and Marion, but it was hard to find a space there. We were looking for an existing space, and we couldn’t find one. Then this space came along.”

Abdikani said he and his brother were both intrigued by this location near Minnehaha Falls. “It was in a good position with a huge parking lot as a real plus.”

He added that they don’t want to have a business that just serves the Somali community, but would like it to be mainstream and cater to everyone. “There is no better place to do that than this location,” Abdikani said.

The building used to be a Bridgeman’s Ice Cream for many years. When the brothers purchased it, the location had been empty for some time. However, Abdikani met one of the Bridgeman’s owners, who had retired.

“We like to share our ethnic food, with the recipes that have passed on from generation to generation,” Abdikani related. As well as using their grandmother’s recipes, they use some of her signature spices. “There is one that our chef calls the magical green spice,” he said “It is green and made of vegetables, and so far everyone who has tried it has liked it.”

Abdikani said his background, working in human services, has brought him in close touch with people. “I got used to meeting them, sometimes under stress. They needed help,” he said. “It is a different kind of people I am meeting now, They are curious and want to try our food. I like to answer their questions and get feedback. It makes the day go very fast.”

SomTaste currently has a staff of four. Abdikani sometimes cooks, also. The restaurant is open from 11am to 10pm seven days a week. The location features a unique look, with white walls with black patterns painted on them. One wall, called the Wall of Fame, is filled with photographs of Somalian culture as well as Ethiopian culture. There are spices, buildings, and recipes pictured. “It was my sister-in-law’s idea,” Abdikani said. The booths and counter were in good condition and kept for use in the new restaurant.

The restaurant also caters, and Abdikani delivered in person some meals to St. Kate’s University. “We have had tremendous support from the neighborhood, and we want to share our food and culture with the community,” Abdikani said.