In Ethiopia, the word “gosh” translates to something like “bravo!” — a congratulations for a job well done. Gosh Ethiopian Restaurant, tucked onto Sutherland Avenue, was named for a restaurant in Ethiopia owned by the parents of chef Terri Woldemichael, whose dream was to open a similar place in Knoxville.
The word “bravo” applies well to the eatery, which opened in 2011 and has since become an acclaimed fixture, serving up dishes that are difficult to find anywhere else in the city. The small menu consists mostly of vegetable and beef stews, simmered in flavorful sauces and served with injera, a fermented flatbread that is the staple of Ethiopian cuisine.
Terri and her husband Mike Woldemichael, both immigrants from Ethiopia, own and operate the restaurant as a family business. After graduating from UT in 2009 with a degree in nuclear engineering, Mike Woldemichael faced the tough job market created by the 2008 recession.
After working various jobs and saving up, the couple took the leap of opening the restaurant. Mike Woldemichael said it has been the fulfillment of many wishes for the family.
“It’s my wife’s dream. She wanted always to open her own business, especially a restaurant. This is like a family tradition. Her parents, they are business people, so she grew up in that environment,” M. Woldemichael said. “It’s an exciting thing to do whatever you love to do, and she enjoys it. If my wife enjoys it, I enjoy it.”
Gosh Ethiopian Restaurant is an intimate experience and also an inclusive one, as the menu has options for many diets, especially vegan and vegetarian dishes. In the decade since it began creating a community around Ethiopian food, Gosh has attracted a loyal customer base.
M. Woldemichael said these customers were the key to surviving the hardest months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Though he has worked as an engineer since 2013 in addition to running the restaurant with his wife, he said rent and utility payments were still hard to make, even with the additional income.
“Our loyal customers, they were really being nice to us. Even though they didn’t need it, they ordered like twice a week just to support us,” M. Woldemichael said. “We are blessed to have good customers, very loyal customers.”
Content about Ethiopian food has expanded on social media in recent years. The hashtag “#ethiopianfood” yields 240,000 results on Instagram and nearly 140 million views on TikTok. Some customers have come into the restaurant after trying and failing to make recipes they saw online, especially the tricky injera, which must be fermented for three days and is hard to make without the specific climate, elevation and ingredients of Ethiopia.
In a show of community, the restaurant has given not only tips, but also fermentation starters to customers who need help making the bread at home.
In addition to loyal customers, the restaurant has also attracted committed staff, who feel like family to the Woldemichaels. Deizel Grubb, a third-year student at UT in the 3+1 program for pharmacy, has worked at Gosh for almost four years.
Grubb’s sister worked at the restaurant before him, and his mother is from the Ethiopian capital city Addis Ababa, just like Terri Woldemichael. For him, the job has always felt like a family affair.
Now, as he prepares to leave Knoxville for graduate studies at the UT Health Center in Memphis, Grubb is thankful for the support of his adopted family at Gosh.
“Every family, it’s about compromise. I like the idea that if I’m doing well, they’re doing well,” Grubb said. “It’s a very open relationship with them, where if I got a better opportunity, I’m not afraid to go to them and be like, ‘hey, I gotta go to grad school soon.’ … They want to see me thrive.”
Gosh is open Wednesday through Friday from 5-8 p.m. and on Saturdays from 4-8 p.m. Grubb said that the short hours and small menu contribute to the unique dining experience.
“We’re not open very long and we don’t have many things on the menu,” Grubb said. “What we do have, it’s all really good. Like what we do make is really good here. I feel like it’s really adventurous food, but it’s all good and there’s always something for someone in here. I’ve never had anyone leave here disappointed.”
Among the many dishes he loves, Grubb, who has traveled to Seattle, New York City and even recently Addis Ababa, said the sauce served with the sambusa appetizers is the best a person can get anywhere.
Though the Ethiopian population of Knoxville is relatively small, the restaurant attracts locals and travelers seeking out a taste of home. Over the years, a community of people passionate about the flavors and culture of Ethiopia have found a family on Sutherland Avenue.
“Every time there’s a truck driver that’s Ethiopian, or Ethiopians traveling through, they always stop by here and then we talk. I get to practice my Amharic, which is not good,” Grubb said with a laugh.
