Kristen Orkoshneli
Stories (57)
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Heritage on a Plate
In every family kitchen, in every grandmother’s recipe, and in every traditional dish passed down through generations, there lies a story—of people, of migration, of survival, and of celebration. Food is not just nourishment. It is memory, identity, and heritage served on a plate.
By Kristen Orkoshneli6 months ago in Journal
Time or Money?
We live in a world that runs on two powerful currencies: time and money. Both are essential, both are limited, and both influence nearly every decision we make—whether consciously or not. But when life forces us to choose between the two, which should we value more?
By Kristen Orkoshneli6 months ago in Journal
Your Next 5 Moves
Success in business isn't about luck — it's about strategy. In today’s fast-paced world, where change is the only constant, the ability to think several steps ahead is what separates reactive entrepreneurs from visionary leaders. The question is no longer “What’s your next move?” — it’s “What are your next five moves?”
By Kristen Orkoshneli7 months ago in Journal
Immigrant Spaghetti
I’ll never forget the first time I had a taste of Ethiopian spaghetti. It was a balmy, late-spring night in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in 2011, at the now-closed restaurant Queen of Sheba. Nearing closing time, the crew started dishing out its nightly staff meal. Owner Frieshgenet Dabei sat down at my table with a plate of spaghetti, and I caught a scent of tomato and berbere. I may have actually floated out of my seat like a cartoon character on a carpet of aromatics into the seat across from her. Without my having to ask, she explained that spaghetti is as popular as injera in Ethiopia, and sometimes they’ll even eat spaghetti on top of injera. She taught me how spaghetti was introduced by the Italians, who have a long history of violence in Ethiopia, during and following Italy's invasion and occupation of East Africa in the late 1930s and early ’40s. That influence now sat on Dabei’s plate, noodles swathed in a homemade tomato sauce with onions, garlic, berbere spice, ground beef, and green peppers. She’d incorporated the last ingredient when she moved to the South.
By Kristen Orkoshneli7 months ago in Confessions
