A Place to Linger: Food as Art and Atmosphere at Benyam Ethiopian Cuisine episode artwork

EPISODE · Jan 13, 2026 · 35 MIN

A Place to Linger: Food as Art and Atmosphere at Benyam Ethiopian Cuisine

from Our New York Table · host Diane Bezucha

When Benyam Ethiopian Cuisine first opened in Harlem, people weren’t always sure whether they’d walked into a restaurant or an art gallery. And in some ways, that was exactly how owner Beniam Asfaw and his siblings wanted it. In this episode, I sit down with owner Beniam Asfaw to talk about his journey to New York City, berbere basics, and how food, art, and atmosphere come together to create a place meant for lingering. Read more about what we ate! ----more---- EPISODE CREDITS Produced & Edited by Diane Bezucha Music “Addis Jazz” by u_98673jp944 “Cooking Food Music” by BackgroundMusicForVideos “Too Good For Punk (positive funk)” by Kulakovka “Jazz Background Music” by HitsLab “Upbeat Together Worldbeat Emotional World Uplifting Music” by REDproductions “Periodicals” by Blue Dot Sessions from the album Albany, NY (2015) “City Limits” by Blue Dot Sessions from the album Albany, NY (2015) “Grey Grey Joe” by Blue Dot Sessions from the album TinyTiny Trio, (2016)

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jan 13, 2026

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When Benyam Ethiopian Cuisine first opened in Harlem, people weren’t always sure whether they’d walked into a restaurant or an art gallery. And in some ways, that was exactly how owner Beniam Asfaw and his siblings wanted it. In this episode, I sit down with owner Beniam Asfaw to talk about his journey to New York City, berbere basics, and how food, art, and atmosphere come together to create a place meant for lingering.

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A Place to Linger: Food as Art and Atmosphere at Benyam Ethiopian Cuisine

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