Beejhy Barhany: Delivering Ethiopia and Israel to Harlem
Restauranteur shares her rich heritage with New York in a beautiful, tasty way.
After completing her mandatory service in the Israeli Defense Forces, Beejhy Barhany was ready to travel the world. In 1996 she packed up and left Israel to spend months touring Central and South America, first making a stop in New York. She was quickly captivated by the city.
“I really loved what I saw back then,” said Barhany. “Back in my head, I said, ‘I should be part of this. I will come back.’”
Years later, at the age of 21 and with New York lingering in her thoughts still, Barhany returned to make Harlem her new home.
“I loved it and wanted to be part of it, and see how I can contribute to society with my story and beautiful and delicious tradition within the Ethiopian Jewish community,” said Barhany.
In 2014 Barhany established Tsion Café, a vibrant Ethiopian Israeli restaurant located in the historically famous Sugar Hill neighborhood in Harlem. Through Tsion, Barhany has been able to share her rich Ethiopian Jewish heritage in a grand, wide-reaching way via a medium which she values greatly: Food.
Born in Tigray, Ethiopia, Barhany recalls an early childhood full of fresh and organic foods. Teff flour, pumpkins, corn, cow milk, goat milk—everything was homegrown, raised, and nutritious. Barhany, committed to nourishing the community that she loved and that had welcomed her so much, sought to bring this aspect of her upbringing to Harlem.
“This is my background and history, why I really focus on and emphasize providing healthy, fresh foods to the people within the Harlem community,” said Barhany. “For me, it was a win-win situation. Here I am showcasing and celebrating my upbringing, my rich Ethiopian cuisine and flavors. And yet, exposing people to healthy eating.”
Barhany left Ethiopia around the age of four along with her family, traveling through Sudan and later settling in Israel. Israel is where most of Barhany’s childhood takes place, and where she is first introduced to various cultures and cuisines.
“Growing up in Israel, I was blessed and exposed to dine with friends from different ethnic backgrounds and open my tastebuds to different unique foods and drinks,” said Barhany. “Israel was the introduction to the diversity. Here, you even get it in a bigger scale.”
Tsion Café reflects Barhany’s diverse pallet and cultural background, with foods such as Ethiopian doro tibs and Israeli style quinoa salad on the same menu. Tsion even briefly served alfajores, or dulce de leche sandwich cookies, which Barhany came to know and love while backpacking through Central and South America.
Since its founding, Tsion Café has rapidly become a beloved hub and stalwart of Harlem and the greater New York community. It is known not only for its wonderful Ethiopian Israeli cuisine, but for its live entertainment, displays of art by local artists, welcoming atmosphere and evident dedication to its community.
“We care about the customers, the people who come in. We treat them like family,” said Barhany. “We talk to them. It’s not just a business and that’s it. We are concerned about all our customers. We communicate with them. We know where they live. It’s a whole family. It’s a small business within a village.”
In April 2020, following a month-long shut down due to the COVID-19 outbreaks, Tsion Café immediately turned their attention toward New York. Despite being faced with many new challenges at a time when many businesses were closing doors, Barhany and Tsion staff spent the first several months of the global pandemic donating more than 1,000 meals to frontline workers and other New Yorkers in need.
“It was a very hard time,” said Barhany about the beginning of the pandemic. “I recall people didn’t go to work, supermarkets were halfway empty. It was just a very dire situation. We said, ‘Why not do something good that will uplift their spirits and uplift their souls with good food?’”
When New Yorkers discovered that Tsion Café was donating meals, many demonstrated their support by submitting monetary donations. With help from the community that they had loved and nourished, Tsion Café was able to continue supporting and feeding the community.
Tsion Café was blessed further in July 2020, when it became one of the first restaurants to be selected for Mayor Bill de Blasio and First Lady Chirlane McGray’s Restaurant Revitalization Program with One Fair Wage. This initiative, launched to support unemployed and underemployed restaurant workers impacted by COVID-19, granted Tsion Café $30,000 in payroll support, allowing Barhany to hire even more staff on a subsidized $20 hourly wage.
“The Restaurant Revitalization [Program] helped a lot,” said Barhany. “But it’s a lot of components that helped us stay open and sustain ourselves, which was wonderful.”
Barhany’s enthusiasm for Harlem is clear, and her devotion to its community highly visible. Almost symbolically, Tsion operates in the same building that once housed the famed Jimmy’s Chicken Shack, an eatery and jazz club from the Harlem Renaissance era. Black American historic giants such as Malcolm X and Charlie Parker were once workers there. Others such as Billie Holiday and Art Tatum were frequent performers. Barhany recognizes and honors the rich legacy of the location in numerous forms, from continuing Jimmy’s tradition of live music to serving cocktails with names such as Redd Foxx.
“Harlem is the mecca of black culture,” said Barhany. “Harlem is a rich, historic place where immigrants from all over the world come and build a new home for themselves. It’s a place [that] paved the way for change and empowering black people as a whole. It’s an honor for me to be here and contribute and hire people within the community, and nourish my community.”
While a proud resident of Harlem, Barhany still keeps Israel in her heart. Though unable to return since the start of the pandemic, Barhany visits her family in Israel often, accompanied by her husband and two children. She hopes to visit Israel again next year.
“For me, it’s home,” said Barhany. “Harlem is home and Israel is home.”
Brilliant
I am saddened to hear of the recent struggles in your Harlem community directed at you for your ties to Israel. Prayers and support from the west coast.