BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Each Monday, we highlight a Buffalo City Shaper - someone who is contributing to Buffalo's resurgence.
This week, 2 On Your Side's Kelly Dudzik is profiling a woman who moved here as a refugee in 2005.
Zelalem Gemmeda grew up in Ethiopia. She came to Buffalo in 2005 as a refugee from Yemen with her husband and their children.
"What was it like when you first got here?" asked Dudzik.
"I mean, I never expected America like this because I saw America in movies, so I was expecting to see the city like the movies I saw," said Gemmeda.
Gemmeda opened Abyssinia Ethiopian Cuisine at the West Side Bazaar when the bazaar opened in 2013 on Grant Street.
"I love to be working with diverse people. Now, we are like family and we help each other. We like each other, you know? We eat food, we share food, and I don't feel I'm out of my country," says Gemmeda.
Gemmeda learned how to cook from her mom. When she became a refugee, there were no jobs, so she put her entrepreneurial skills to work.
"I started by preparing like spices, so I started selling in the camp for the people," she says.
She also made and sold bread, and that's when she knew she wanted to be a business owner.
"When I come to Buffalo, the first thing is I wanted to start a business, but it wasn't easy in America to open a restaurant," explained Gemmeda.
But with the help of the Westminster Economic Development Initiative, or WEDI, which runs the West Side Bazaar, Gemmeda was able to get her restaurant off the ground. And, since her place opened, many other refugees have found similar success.
"How have you seen things change from when you first got here to now in Buffalo?" asked Dudzik.
"Oh, it's a lot of change. Buffalo is growing because when I came the first time, there wasn't like that much refugees. Now, a lot of refugees come to Buffalo, and most of them, they start business, and they make this happen, Buffalo. Mostly West Side," says Gemmeda.
Gemmeda says she would love to stay with the West Side Bazaar as it expands to its new location.
If you'd like to nominate a Buffalo City Shaper, just send Kelly an email.