Ras-Ka, Ethiopian Restaurant - By Adam Concannon
Ras-Ka, located at 120 W Laurel St, Fort Collins, CO 80524, has been a facet to the Fort Collins community for the past seven years. Owned and operated by Hanna Selassie, Ras-Ka is an Ethiopian restaurant that provides traditional Ethiopian food with a holistic approach. Selassie, originally from Ethiopia, ended up in Colorado as a result of marriage and the pursuit of higher education, receiving a degree from Colorado State University. When ask how she started cooking Selassie stated that when she left Ethiopia she wasn't a great cook, but growing homesick and looking for a means to connect with home she looked to cooking traditional Ethiopian meals as a means of getting a very literal taste of home. It's evident in tasting one of her meals Selassie has become a tactful and inventive cook. Selassie says that she doesn't cater to the western palette; she creates what's inside her embracing the use of traditional Ethiopian spices, but is mind full of the variance of tolerance to spices. Selassie admits that she has strayed from traditional Ethiopian food integrating local and organic ingredients to her dishes, stating that she wants to help the community with her food. Working with Doctor Cory D. Carroll, of Paradigm Shift for Health, Selassie puts a lot of thought into the ingredients of her food wanting them to not only taste good but to be good for you. Straying further away from traditional Ethiopian dishes more Selassie eliminated beef from her menu and is leaning more towards vegan dishes. Not motivated by profits but the community she is surrounded by and has felt no pressure to cater her community’s palette because as she states the people that come though her door are coming through with an open mind. For truly delight full and flavorful dining experience be sure to swing by Ras-Ka.
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