Haregewin Bekele was able to fulfill her dream of opening Blacksburg’s first Ethiopian restaurant, Excellent Table, through the power of prayer and belief in herself.

Excellent Table is a quaint spot hidden behind the Farmer’s Market Square on 119 North Main St., Suite 103, in Blacksburg, VA. The inconvenient location and tiny establishment reflects nothing on the food Bekele, 47, serves at her restaurant, according to her customers.

“Even though it was small I felt very comfortable there,” Matthew Parker, a senior at Virginia Tech, said as he recalled his experience at Excellent Table. “The restaurant smells amazing and the food is absolutely delicious.”

The diverse menu, as described by Andrew Reilly in the Collegiate Times, is not the only thing that makes dining at Excellent Table such a great experience; there is also the woman behind the food. Through her kind heart and enthusiastic character, Bekele brings a sense of warmth to all of her customers.

The humble walls of the newly renovated restaurant are full of inspiration, in the small space heater on the floor that heats the room, the less than one month old sitting area, the warm inviting yellow color of the walls, and the first article written about Excellent Table, framed and hanging on the wall. Above all else, inspiration lies in the smile on Bekele’s face. She, herself, has overcome an extraordinary amount of obstacles and still continuously meets trials today, yet she does not let this stop the hope in her heart.

“If no one believes in you, you have to believe in yourself,” Bekele said.

Bekele started the business from nothing but an idea. She has always had an innate ability to cook, but did not know how to share it with the world until one day, about twenty years ago, a professor at Virginia Tech, Dr. Victorio Bonomo, challenged each member of his real-estate class to go out and pursue his or her own business. Bekele, a student in class, took Bonomo’s task and planted the first seeds of her business. She opened her restaurant in January 2007, and despite a few setbacks, it is still in business today.  

Bekele looks at her past with pride and at her future with hope. Her hardships and struggles are never ending but she does not let this keep her from seeing the success she has achieved. She will eagerly tell her story in order to educate and help those around her overcome the obstacles they encounter in life.

“I’m not ashamed of failing. I’m not ashamed of losing. I have learned to be sympathetic to those who try to make it,” Bekele said. “They give me the strength to know that it’s not just me. The world is not created for just me. We all learn from each other.”

At the beginning, Bekele started her business by selling injera, traditional Ethiopian bread, to local grocery stores. This, among itself, was a challenge because Bekele, at first, did not know how to make the bread. She went door-to-door in an Ethiopian community and asked questions about the consistency and taste for which she should strive when making her bread, persistently practicing until she got it right.

“One day, just accidentally, the perfect bread came out,” Bekele said.

Bekele serving food in Excellent Table’s kitchen.

Once she came up with the perfect recipe, she began selling her product at local grocery stores. After seeing the success of these sales she began to make Ethiopian cooking sauce in large batches and packaging it to sale. Through the process of selling these two items, she learned that the community was unfamiliar with Ethiopian food and the health benefits that come from the ingredients used.

“I educated the community,” Bekele said. “I was in Blacksburg, I was in Dublin, I was in Floyd; I was everywhere at one time educating everybody.”

At this time The Chocolate Spike was located next door to the unit where Excellent Table resides today. The owner, Genie Ranick, owned both units and was looking to rent out the location. Through chance she met Bekele and offered her the space. Bekele sent her business proposal to the bank and was approved for a loan. Immediately after that she began the construction process.

The construction was an ordeal in itself. She had a tough time communicating with the workers due to their lack of respect. What should have been completed in less than two months took six. Despite the politics, however, the construction eventually completed and she officially opened her business in 2007.

“When I opened the door, my first customer came in and asked if I was open for business and if he could see the menu,” Bekele said. “After that it is a story to tell.”

However, the opening of the restaurant did not end her struggles. In July 2009 the town of Blacksburg decided to renovate the Farmer’s Market Square. The construction of the square blocked off her restaurant for nearly six months, causing an enormous strain on her business.

“It was in this that I learned why people commit suicide. Not that I was going to do it, but I saw the window of their suffering,” Bekele said. “It’s not an outside thing, it’s an inside thing.”

Through her faith in God and the help from her landlords who remained very understanding during the whole process, she was able to overcome this obstacle and stay in business through the construction.

Renovated sitting area.

The construction of the market finished in April 2010, and even after all of the hardships that it caused, Bekele still finds joy in her work through her customers.   

“I love to cook and I love my customers and that’s what the drive is for me,” Bekele said. “That gets me up in the morning.”

She continues to plan for the future. Now that she has added a seating area to her restaurant, she plans to make dramatic changes to the menu. Her goal in all the changes and through all her cooking and serving is to make her customers happy.

“I want to make this the happiest place in Blacksburg,” Bekele said, smiling delightfully. “I want to make people say, ‘Have you been to that place? Let me take you.’”

In the end, Bekele bases her life around Psalm 23:5, "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies."

“To all of us there is a table. To me this is the table of cooking and serving,” Bekele explains. “God put this table before me, so this is the most excellent table.”

It is important, according to Bekele, to continue to pursue one’s dreams, no matter the obstacles encountered, because without the struggle there would be no worth once it is achieved. In her words, “If there is no fight, there is no muscle.”