While an invitation to dine on Ethiopian cuisine might have invoked a curiously arched eyebrow from many people a decade ago, the mid-Michigan community, and specifically the East Lansing area, is now much more willing to embrace ethnically diverse cuisine.

Altu Tadesse has done her best to turn the blissful ignorance of some into a craving for many who line up to enjoy her traditionally spicy Ethiopian dishes.

While many area restaurants have recently suffered from intense competition and from customers who have cut discretionary spending, Altu’s has    continued to expand its customer base.

Tadesse, 45, was born and raised in Ethiopia, a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa. She came to the United States in 1986 and enrolled at Eastern Michigan University. She completed undergraduate degrees in history and then earned a master’s degree in historic preservation from EMU.

Q: Where were you born and raised?

A: I was born in a rural western province of Ethiopia called Wollega. My parents did some farming and owned a business. Life was wonderful. My family had everything we needed. In 1977 we moved to Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia. My parents had and still have a supermarket store in Addis Ababa.

Q: Why did you come to the United States?

A: Living in this country means having lots of opportunities in life that are absolutely unavailable in Ethiopia. I wanted to go to school and have a    better life.

Q: What was the biggest challenge you faced when you arrived in the United States?

A: It was hard being so far from  family and friends. Ethiopians are very social people and we do lots of things with family, and of course that was missing here. It took me a long time to adjust to that and make friends who understood me.

Q: What led you to consider the restaurant business?

A: My love of cooking. I grew up in a business-oriented family. I was always interested in business. My schooling was not geared towards running a business, but cooking and having my own business were two things that always interested me.

Q: You opened Altu’s in November of 1996. Why did you choose East Lansing?

A: My husband had accepted a job at Michigan State University in a post-doc position. The diversity of the population was very interesting to us, but at the time East Lansing had very little ethnic food. There wasn’t any Indian cuisine or Thai food. I thought this area needed more ethnic cuisine.

Q: What might a traditional Ethiopian meal consist of?

A: Bread is always a part of the meal and standard. Breakfast, lunch and dinner include flat sourdough bread, very thin almost like a crepe. It’s called injera. Greens or vegetables are very important. Things like spicy ground peas and collard greens often are included. You have at least one meat dish. We have many stew-like dishes featuring chicken, lamb and beef,     typically served with rice and bread.

Q: Are people intimidated by the thought of ordering at an Ethiopian cuisine restaurant?

A: Not anymore. People are more willing to try new things. It was different ten years ago for sure. But especially in this area, people are exposed to so many different foods now.

Q: What is the toughest part of running a restaurant?

A: The hours are hard. I still do all of the cooking and work 14 hours a day. And finding and keeping good employees is difficult, finding people who will go through training and stay around longer that three or four months.

Q: What makes Altu’s the success it is?

A: Consistency. I’m the one who does all of the cooking, so the quality of food is consistent. We have a very close connection with our customers.  I love to talk with people and really enjoy meeting people. And I think that shows.

Q: How much of an influence does Michigan State University have on your business?

A: Students probably make up about a quarter of our business. In general we will slow down some in the summer. We have fewer MSU events. We do catering, too. Our business is very good right now. We are not having the problems some other eateries are experiencing.

Q: What is the best part about running a restaurant?

A: I would say seeing people try new foods and getting the satisfaction from the food. We are a large extended family here and I have gotten to know many of our customers and their families.

Q: How much has the restaurant business changed in the decade since you opened Altu’s?

A: Not much really. Trends come and go I guess. We just keep doing the same things that have been successful over the years. I’m always here and cooking. Someday I would like to see if I can find someone who I can trust with the cooking. I’m curious to do that some day. But for now things remain very much the same as when we opened.