Review: Bayview School of Cooking’s 'Ethiopian Flavors'

Originally published on The JOLT News on March 31, 2026.

Stepping into the Bayview School of Cooking last Thursday evening, I was eager for adventure and ready to explore something new in the kitchen. Little did I know that I was about to engage in something incredibly special and more vibrant than I could have imagined.  

Bayview brought in guest teacher Chef Eleni Woldeyes, who created an exceptionally meaningful learning experience with her heart warming stories, delicious flavors, and clever set of tips and tricks. The whole experience gave me a deeper insight into our world’s collective kitchen, more on that later.  

If you have not tried Ethiopian food before, I invite you to stop by Bayview Thriftway to buy Injera bread and all other ingredients to make Doro Wot, Fossolia, Gomen and Ayeb for yourselves. While you are there, pick up a brochure for all the spring cooking class offerings.  

The only ingredient you will not find at Bayview is the traditional Ethiopian spice blend, Berbere. During the class, I learned that Berbere is traditionally made by individual families twice a year in Ethiopia.

Families will bring their prepared spices to their city or village spice grinder. In Olympia, you can find the prepared spice blend at the Olympia Co-Op, Buck’s Spices or by ordering from Chef Woldeyes herself online. 

The experience 

The kitchen smelled heavenly during this class! The caramelizing vegetables tangoed with the Berbere in such a way that made me crave vegetables. I feel weird typing that, but it's true. Everything tasted divine with harmonious flavors that were well balanced between salt, fat, acid and heat.  

Chef Woldeyes was a gracious teacher, who guided us through these recipes at the perfect pace and made room for questions throughout.

She proved to be very knowledgeable in her craft, as she maintained the perfect balance between giving historical context, cooking facts and her own personal touch. Please come back to Olympia soon.   

Just as we save eating whole turkey or ham for special holidays, Ethiopians save chicken for special holidays. Doro Wot chicken is eaten as a way of “breaking the fast” on Easter. Doro Wot is traditionally cooked with whole chicken pieces in the special sauce, but this class just used chicken thighs.

Chef Woldeyes shared that Ethiopia has a majority Orthodox Christian society. Traditionally, Ethiopians eat vegan during their 40-day Lent season prior to their Easter (which lands on a different date than ours). I loved hearing Chef Woldeyes describe her memories of eating Doro Wot at her grandma’s after midnight Easter service.  

Perhaps, Doro Wot could be a new Easter tradition for your family. My family is letting me cook this feast for us on Easter Sunday! 

I left this cooking class glowing with joy and feeling deeply encouraged about refreshing my everyday menu by mixing up what I carry in my kitchen. Who could ask for anything more?  

 Reflections 

The smell of chopped onion immediately made me feel at home in the Bayview School of Cooking Classroom. The comforting scent put me at ease — Ethiopian cooking might be more accessible than I realized. 

Various cooking traditions can find commonality in their cupboards. The majority of ethnic cuisines have garlic, carrot, tomato, onion, oil, eggs, salt and pepper. These are the kinds of ingredients that many of us have at any given time.

Throughout the Ethiopian Flavors class, I learned that this style shares similarities with Mediterranean and Indian cooking. The only thing that differentiates the majority of recipes is the way spices are used, or the additional spices and ingredients that are added.  

This is a metaphor for all of us. We all have certain foundational things that make up our bodies, our desires and who we are. We all want peace, love, hope and joy in our lives, but we might seek these things in different ways.  

Whether we are approaching pantries or people, we should celebrate the nuances that make us so flavorful, but remember and respect the core things we have in common. We can walk into new recipes or friendships not being afraid or hesitant of what separates us, but embracing what makes us similar and different.  

These lessons and more can be found at the Bayview School of Cooking kitchen. Remember, our pantries can become passports. Click here to see what adventures await you.  

 If you end up trying Doro Wot or any of the recipes listed above, let me know! I would love to hear what you think! You can contact me here.  

https://www.thejoltnews.com/stories/review-bayview-school-of-cookings-ethiopian-flavors,28667