Fort Collins Ethiopian Restaurant Closing After 15 Years

If you're still not over the fact that Yum Yum's is closing, you might want to brace yourself before you keep reading.

Nyala Ethiopian Cuisine will be closing its doors after 15 years in Fort Collins, according to a post from the restaurant's Facebook page.

Owner Etage Asrat made the decision on August 30, stating with a smile emoji that "mama needs a break."

Asrat founded the restaurant, which is located at 2900 Harvard St., in 2004.

She moved here with her children and husband in 1991 so that her husband could pursue a degree at CSU. She obtained her own degree from Regis University, where she also worked.

Soon after arriving, she felt a desire to share her culture with Northern Colorado.

This desire stemmed from the reaction she got from former coworkers whenever she microwaved food at work. According to The Coloradoan, her fellow employees would go crazy over how good it smelled, so she decided she needed to open her own restaurant.

The success of the restaurant was largely due to its authentic Ethiopian experience. Silverware was optional, with many customers opting to eat their food with injera, a sourdough flat bread used to scoop up most Ethiopian meals.

Customers also had the opportunity to forgo the traditional restaurant model of tables and chairs, exchanging it for sitting on stools and sharing food out of a center basket.

This food, which Asrat cooked all by herself, was covered in popular Ethiopian spices such as cardamom and turmeric, which Asrat imported from her family back home in Ethiopia.

"I'm grateful for the opportunity to have shared my culture with all of you [the customers] and thank you sincerely for all the years of support and love," Asrat said of the restaurant's closing.

Thanks to Nyala Ethiopian Cuisine for 15 years of rich culture and spicy food.