@RoobleAlWaliid posted this on Somnet. It is an awsome story worth sharing. It is more noteworthy cuz it highlights how Somali food/cuisine is making its mark on the global stage and capturing attention due to the noble effort made by this Somali entrepeneur. Not only that but how every bite of a Somali sambusa or a laxoox creates and supports a job in the somali community. Creates wealth for the community.
Nothing but respect for this brotha. Prime example on how to engage culture as a business.
http://www.afrodeli.com/
Minnesota Somali-American deli owner to attend State of the Union
Politics Mukhtar Ibrahim · Jan 7, 2016
Entrepreneur Abdirahman Kahin was invited by Sen. Al Franken to attend President Obama's final State of the Union address next Tuesday in Washington. Kahin owns Afro Deli & Restaurants in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Mukhtar Ibrahim | MPR News
LISTEN Abdirahman Kahin, owner of Afro Deli & Grill, talks to host Tom Crann about his State of the Union invite
Abdirahman Kahin's plan was to be in his native Djibouti on Dec. 26 to reunite with his mother and relatives that he hadn't seen in nearly two decades. Plans changed, though, when he got a call from Minnesota U.S. Sen. Al Franken's office two days before his departure.
Kahin, 38, owner of Afro Deli & Grill restaurants in Minneapolis and St. Paul, was chosen by Franken to attend President Barack Obama's final State of the Union address next Tuesday in Washington, D.C.
"As a small business owner and leader in our community, Abdirahman Kahin is an excellent example of how integral people of diverse faiths and backgrounds are to the prosperity of our state," Franken said in a statement. "For over five years, Afro Deli has introduced Minnesotans to delicious African and Mediterranean cuisine with an American twist, and its success is a testament to Abdirahman's entrepreneurship."
Kahin opened the first Afro Deli near the University of Minnesota's West Bank campus in Minneapolis and it became popular among students and the local African community in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood. In February, he opened a second branch in downtown St. Paul.
As Afro Deli continues to thrive, it has become one of the few East African-owned restaurants that Minnesotans have embraced.
"It's a dream. I'm overwhelmed," Kahin said of the invitation. "I always watched the State of the Union. It's like the Super Bowl. I think that's the only two nights I schedule to watch the TV."
"It's going to be a great experience, not only for myself, there are a couple of millions of African immigrants in the United States that would like to see me there," Kahin told MPR News' Tom Crann. "I'm very grateful and proud to represent that community."
Kahin, who rescheduled his Djibouti trip for late January, said he hopes the president will use the State of the Union speech to talk about plans to welcome more immigrants and refugees into the country.
Nothing but respect for this brotha. Prime example on how to engage culture as a business.
http://www.afrodeli.com/
Minnesota Somali-American deli owner to attend State of the Union
Politics Mukhtar Ibrahim · Jan 7, 2016
Entrepreneur Abdirahman Kahin was invited by Sen. Al Franken to attend President Obama's final State of the Union address next Tuesday in Washington. Kahin owns Afro Deli & Restaurants in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Mukhtar Ibrahim | MPR News
LISTEN Abdirahman Kahin, owner of Afro Deli & Grill, talks to host Tom Crann about his State of the Union invite
Abdirahman Kahin's plan was to be in his native Djibouti on Dec. 26 to reunite with his mother and relatives that he hadn't seen in nearly two decades. Plans changed, though, when he got a call from Minnesota U.S. Sen. Al Franken's office two days before his departure.
Kahin, 38, owner of Afro Deli & Grill restaurants in Minneapolis and St. Paul, was chosen by Franken to attend President Barack Obama's final State of the Union address next Tuesday in Washington, D.C.
"As a small business owner and leader in our community, Abdirahman Kahin is an excellent example of how integral people of diverse faiths and backgrounds are to the prosperity of our state," Franken said in a statement. "For over five years, Afro Deli has introduced Minnesotans to delicious African and Mediterranean cuisine with an American twist, and its success is a testament to Abdirahman's entrepreneurship."
Kahin opened the first Afro Deli near the University of Minnesota's West Bank campus in Minneapolis and it became popular among students and the local African community in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood. In February, he opened a second branch in downtown St. Paul.
As Afro Deli continues to thrive, it has become one of the few East African-owned restaurants that Minnesotans have embraced.
"It's a dream. I'm overwhelmed," Kahin said of the invitation. "I always watched the State of the Union. It's like the Super Bowl. I think that's the only two nights I schedule to watch the TV."
"It's going to be a great experience, not only for myself, there are a couple of millions of African immigrants in the United States that would like to see me there," Kahin told MPR News' Tom Crann. "I'm very grateful and proud to represent that community."
Kahin, who rescheduled his Djibouti trip for late January, said he hopes the president will use the State of the Union speech to talk about plans to welcome more immigrants and refugees into the country.
Kahin of Afro Deli attending State of the Union address
Abdirahman Kahin, 38, will attend the State of the Union as a guest of Sen. Al Franken. The Djibouti native started Afro Deli restaurant in 2010 in partnership with the African Development Center.
Abdirahman Kahin was scheduled this week to visit his mom and relatives in his native Djibouti when he got an invitation that made him changed his plans.
It was Sen. Al Franken’s office, asking if Kahin, owner of Afro Deli restaurants in Minneapolis and St. Paul, would join him at President Barack Obama’s final State of the Union address Tuesday in Washington D.C.
“It took me a couple of minutes to really process it was real,” Kahin said this past weekend. “I was grateful to the senator and his office.”
The invitation came as the 38-year-old Kahin continues to expand Afro Deli, which he opened in 2010 in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood in partnership with the African Development Center. Kahin added a downtown St. Paul location last year and expanded that restaurant’s seating in December.
“I knew St. Paul needed a more diverse menu in (its) restaurant scene,” he said. “I took a chance, and I knew it was worth it.”
The self-described social entrepreneur has been taking chances throughout his business career. Kahin emigrated to the U.S. when he was almost a teenager and started a media production company after attending Minneapolis Community & Technical College. He was part of a group that opened Casablanca restaurant about 10 years ago in southeast Minneapolis.
Kahin didn’t have much restaurant experience at the time, and Casablanca closed in 2009, he said. Leaders of the African Development Center enjoyed the restaurant, however, and asked Kahin to become a managing partner for the restaurant they wanted to open at their new Cedar-Riverside office.
The nonprofit African Development center works to help African immigrants grow businesses. For about 10 years, the center has partnered with the city of Minneapolis on a small-business loan program that helps Muslim business owners get around the faith’s prohibition on paying interest.
Afro Deli was one of the first businesses to access this loan, former Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak said, adding that the program helped about 50 businesses get started.
The center used a combination of city, federal and private funds to kickstart the restaurant. The center executed a business plan and provided Kahin back-end assistance.
Kahin worked with the African Development Center to a menu that combined American, Middle Eastern and African dishes with traditional East African flavors. They also made sure to prepare dishes Halal, or acceptable under Islamic law.
The combination proved to be a success. The Minneapolis restaurant, located near the University of Minnesota’s West Bank Campus, attracted a combination of students and neighbors. It’s provided the African Development Center with more than $100,000 in revenue each year.
“He makes an amazing gyro,” Rybak said. “(It’s) lot of fun to go to African restaurant in a formerly Swedish neighborhood and have a great Greek meal.”
Kahin began planning for an expansion soon after the restaurant’s opening. He obtained a mini MBA from the University of St. Thomas, which he said helped him learn management, financial and marketing skills.
Kahin opened the St. Paul location early last year to positive reviews. He oversees the location independently of the African Development Center and is in talks with Hudson Group to provide grab-and-go sandwiches and salads at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. He added that downtown Minneapolis is a target market.
St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman said Afro Deli has become a lunch mainstay among his staff, estimating that he’s eaten Afro Deli a dozen times since it opened in St. Paul. He said Kahin provides fantastic food at a reasonable price, adding that Kahin strikes him as a hard worker.
“He’s really created kind of a neighborhood restaurant feel with the incredible food,” Coleman said.
African Development Center Executive Director Nasibu Sareva praised Kahin’s leadership style, noting that he is a good listener and passionate about what he does. Rybak appeared to agree, calling him a hard-working entrepreneur and an extremely likable guy.
“He is deeply committed to improving lives for people, but he’s also extremely humble,” Rybak said.”He’s a person who says yes when asked, but not a person who asks for that attention to go on to him.”
Kahin, who was a Boy Scout growing up in Djibouti, has continued to be involved in the community and serves on the boards of the Minnesota Somali Chamber of Commerce, the Somali Confederation of Minnesota and People’s Center Health Services.
Kahin said he would like to open more restaurants and continue to mentor small-business owners in the future. He loves sports and plays soccer, watches football and enjoys Minneapolis’ lakes in his free time.
As for his trip to Djbouti, it will happen, he said, but at a later date.
“Africa can wait for me,” he said, “but this cannot wait.”
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