Zigni House sets a good example to all Eritrean Businesses

Meadna News, November 17, 2005

Zigni House, an Eritrean restaurant in North London, held a ceremony for the opening of the dance floor of the restaurant. Hundreds of invited guests including the Eritrean Ambassador to the United Kingdom and Ireland Mr Negasi Sengal and the mayor of Islington attended the ceremony. The guests were treated to a colourful food and drink exhibition. Cultural music and dance of Eritrea and other east African countries were presented by different groups of performers. 

Zigni House, since its opening over year ago, has received a wide coverage in the national and local newspapers in the UK. Restaurant critics have valued Zigni House’s food and service very highly.   With its successful penetration in the restaurant industry market in the UK, Zigni House has demonstrated the significance of the potential of Eritrean food in the non-Eritrean market.

Zigni House is owned by Tsige Haile, who is also the chef. Tsige is a remarkable Eritrean woman. When she was studying for grade six, she got married and stopped her education. She continued her school six years after that and completed 12th grade.

Tsige came to London from Ethiopia where she had her business including a cosmetic factory, honey factory and plastics factory, for a two-week conference for the cosmetics industry in Aril 1998. Two weeks later, the war between Ethiopia and Eritrea started, and she was unable to return. Like thousands of Eritreans living in Ethiopia, she lost her business and home. Tsige also wrote the first Eritrean and Ethiopian cookery books. She is also finishing a cookery book in English, which will be the first Eat African cookery book written by a native author in the UK.

Although there are many contributing factors to the success of Zigni House, the variety, test and the presentation of the of the food, and the atmosphere of the restaurant are stated as main strength of the restaurant. As the varieties of food are displayed on the window, potential customers can see what they can get. One of the regular English customers, said that he saw the food as he was passing by the restaurant and he tried the food and he has been hooked to Zigni house ever since.

Tsige also gained cookery qualification at Hammersmith and West London College. She told Meadna : “I am passionate about cooking and trying new dishes and now I love having time to cook. Eritrea was once colonised by Italy and I enjoy Italian-style cooking as well as the spicier, traditional food we eat.”