Food Notes for June 6, 2022

Langano Skies Leaves a Legacy of Awareness About Ethiopian Cuisine

Longtime Ethiopian restaurant Langano Skies will host its last meal on June 19. After more than 18 years in business, owners Paul and Amsale Sumamo have decided it’s time to close this chapter in their lives.

“We are older, and it is a 24-hour job,” said Amsale. “Even if we aren’t here, we are always thinking about it. Everything is cooked from scratch, and it takes a lot of time – 14 hours a day, six days a week. We have three grandchildren and want to spend time with them. Time is too short, and the more we get older, the more we want to spend time together outside of the kitchen.”

Still, it was a bittersweet decision to close the restaurant. “It’s been emotional,” she said. “It’s been very hard. I couldn’t smile during the announcement, I was so sad. If I was younger I would keep going.”

The couple’s four adult children have been involved in the restaurant, but have other full-time careers and weren’t interested in taking over the business. The Sumamos were also adamant that the brand will remain with them. “Langano Skies will retire with us. It has a lot of meaning for us. The place, the lake(Lake Langano in Ethiopia), how we started,” Amsale said.

The Sumamos acknowledge that they were not the first Ethiopian restaurant in Edmonton when they opened in 2004. But they still had to educate non-Ethiopian diners about the cuisine. In those early years, they participated in festivals such as the Taste of Edmonton and the Edmonton Folk Music Festival, where they worked hard to make people aware of Ethiopian food and how to eat with injera.

“People had no clue about the taste, the texture, how to eat it,” Amsale said of the flatbread made of teff flour. “In the beginning, we had to teach people about the food and how to eat it with their hands. We had people who took forks out of their purse! But we guided them – make sure the injera is flat, scoop your food, and put it in your mouth. It’s that easy.”

Amsale believes her high standard is the primary reason diners have become loyal fans. “The quality didn’t change from Day 1,” she said. “The time I put in, no one else will put. We bring the spices from Ethiopia and I need to know what’s in it. I am very proud of (everything from) the appetizers to the dessert.”

Their ability to adapt to different dietary needs also broadened their reach, Paul added. “We are available for everyone, vegetarians and meat-eaters. We are for both, and we stretched ourselves that way.”

Amsale’s greatest joy in running the restaurant has been sharing their culture and food with the people of Edmonton. In many cases, that has resulted in seeing generations of customers come through the door.

“I was able to see people dating and get engaged. And then they would bring their baby! I have tears I am so happy,” she said. “I was happy I was able to do it for 18 years. I will miss that.”

The Sumamos are planning to operate food booths at both the Edmonton Folk Fest and the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival this summer. They will also share another announcement about what’s next in late August or early September on their Instagram page.

Since their announcement, the Sumamos have been inundated with calls from people eager to have one last meal at the restaurant (they are strongly recommending reservations to avoid disappointment). And though they wouldn’t share the details of how they intend to continue Langano Skies after the summer, they know it will be impossible to replicate the restaurant.

“We make it very cozy with the art, the decor, the paint,” Amsale said. “If we do anything else it won’t be this kind of atmosphere. But you will see us somewhere. As long as we can do it, we will do something.”

The couple is grateful for the community support that has enabled the restaurant to operate all these years. “Thank you to our customers, we wouldn’t be here without them,” she said. “We are very humbled by Edmontonians and love them back.”

Openings

• Roasti’s Old Strathcona cafe will be changing hands and will be run by the roasters behind Sorellina Coffee.
• Yanna’s Kitchen, serving up birria tacos, is a ghost kitchen now open at 8717 53 Avenue.
• New ice cream truck My Scoop is scheduled to open June 15, 2022.
• Food truck El Mero Mero’s brick and mortar location is poised to open at 12223 156 Street.
• Love Pizza is coming to Heritage Valley in August 2022.

Upcoming Events

• Tickets for Linda’s Instagrammable Edmonton E-Bike Tours, which feature 4 food stops, are still available for June 8 and 9, 2022. Tickets are $75 per person.
• Chef Table Living is offering a new series of Brewery and Distillery Bike Tours, running Friday evenings from June 17 – September 2, 2022. Tickets are $89, and include tastings from two local breweries and distillery, as well as a small snack and sandwich.
• DOSC, Evolution Wonderlounge, and Say Uncle are hosting Pride on 104th event on June 18, 2022, featuring a Drag Brunch and Beer Garden.
• The Taste of Edmonton returns to Churchill Square July 21-31, 2022. Advance tickets are now available until July 20.

Local News

• Gui Lin Noodle House had their windows smashed last week; please consider supporting them.
• Cafe Bicyclette has re-opened after repairing the damage sustained in a recent storm.
• Congratulations to Linda and Carmen that their #AdoptAShopAB initiative brought over $13,400 in business to 100 restaurants in Edmonton and Calgary.
• Phil’s latest Best Dish column highlights Co Chin Saigon.
• Edify checked out Felice Cafe.
• Also from Edify, they profile Barbacoa in Spruce Grove and Hayloft Steak + Fish.
• A butterfly garden in Boyle Street called kamâmak nihtâwikihcikan is back up for a second year, and will feature medicinal plants and plants for pollinators.

Beyond Edmonton

• Canada’s 100 Best List was released last week, without a single Edmonton restaurant represented. It’s always been a list heavily focused on businesses in Toronto and Montreal. While I believe Edmonton has the goods to stack up against national heavy hitters, I am reminded of the excellent piece Jen Agg wrote for the Globe a few weeks ago about the Michelin Guide’s first ever Canadian venture into Toronto, exposing the city’s “desperate hunger for outside praise.”

What I Ate

We’re away next week, so there won’t be a new edition of Food Notes until June 20, 2022. Have a great week!

• • We’re certainly going to miss Downtown Spark, which has brought such vibrancy to our neighbourhood Alex Decoteau Park. It’s been great having a series of rotating food trucks available, alongside music and the art installations! On Friday, we dined on tacos and churros from El Mero Mero.

Vanilla churros from El Mero Mero

• • We snuck in one last Downtown Spark visit on Sunday, and indulged in some Sosyal Scoops while they were in the neighbourhood.

Strawberry milk tea ice cream from Sosyal Scoops

• • Edmonton’s playoff fever might be coming to an end next week, but until then, we couldn’t resist picking up some Oilers-themed bagels from Bagel Bar.

#LetsGoOilers bagels

• • We also took in the family-friendly viewing party at Churchill Square on Saturday, and enjoyed some food from Ukrainian House Smachno during the game.

Hearty dinner from Ukrainian House Smatchno