Usually the kitchen at Ekiben is filled with the mouth-watering smells of Thai chicken meatballs in a coconut curry sauce, sweet and starchy steamed buns and the other delectable Asian-inspired dishes at the recently opened Fells Point eatery.
But Saturday, those smells were interrupted by the earthiness of sauteed root vegetables, combined with the pungency of cumin and sharper aromatic spices associated with Ethiopian cuisine.
Mhret Alemu, 17, was hard at work perfecting misir, a traditional Ethiopian dish comprised of lentils, caramelized onions, oil, a slew of peppery spices and tomato paste.
"I think this is going to turn out good," she said quietly while giving the contents of the pot another stir with an oversized whisk. The dish, which was being prepared in an 15-gallon pot, was red beet-colored. The edges of the stew glistened as the oil rose to the top, signaling that the dish was near completion.
Alemu, who has lived in Middle River since moving to the United States from her native Ethiopia, is part of Youth Compass Collective. The Baltimore-based, youth-led group caters to the needs of asylees ages 12 to 21 as they attempt to adjust to life in America.
Saturday, about a dozen members of the group whipped up dishes from their native countries for "The Melting Pot," a fundraiser for the collective. The event, held at the American Brewery in East Baltimore, was expected to attract more than 100 guests.
The event and the group is the brainchild of Willy N'goran, a 21-year-old who is a originally from the Ivory Coast. He started the program last October with his International Rescue Committee asylee caseworker, Kim Poole.
"When I came to America, it was a new culture for me to discover. It was really difficult for me," he said. "We decided to help other people buy making a collective. We study United States culture while remembering where we come from."
N'goran made a sweet and salty dish that combines plantains, palm oil and salt, as his offering for Saturday night's event. Although N'goran prepared his dish at home, seven collective members teamed with local restaurants to create their own dishes for the evening.
Back at Ekiben, Alemu darted back and forth from the stove to a metal prep stand where she was preparing shredded tortillas topped with a spicy butter, other seasonings and topped with drizzled honey. These seasoned pieces of bread were served with the thicker beet-colored stew that she made.
"Usually we make this from scratch," explained her mother, Hanna Negussie. "But we couldn't today because of time."
Steve Chu, chef and partner at Ekiben, jumped at the chance to allow Alemu to prepared her dish Saturday, which happens to be one of the restaurant's busiest days. One of his business partners is Ethiopian, and he has fallen in love with the cuisine.
"No matter where you are from, what ties people to your culture is your food," he said as he leaned over the pot of misir. A look of delight spread across his face as he saw the finished product. "Oh my God, dude. This is so crazy."
Ausar Amen, co-founder of Garden of Vegan, a Baltimore-based catering company that specializes in vegan cuisine, came to Ekiben to work with Alemu and her mother as they made their dish.
"It's like a cultural continuation," he said. "It's passing the torch. The skill is not lost to be able to learn how to feed your family. She [Alemu] understands those nuances."
Amen watched as Alemu was now in full control of the cooking area. She had finished shredding more than 40 pan-toasted tortillas and was about the season them.
"She's getting more comfortable now," he whispered.
Amen smelled the dish and turned to Alemu and said: "This is awesome. I might have to add this to my repertoire."