Tag: Food

Lake City Neighborhood Spotlight

Posted on by Director

Hamdi Market

Article by Siri Anderson

Gezat Abitew, owner of Hamdi Market which serves halal meats and specialty import foods.

Halal Meats & Specialty Foods

12333 Lake City Way NE
Seattle, WA 98125

As you head south on Lake City Way, just past the intersection at 125th, there is a little halal market called Hamdi, run by Gezat Abitew. A 15-year Lake City resident originally from Ethiopia, Gezat bought the Hamdi Market with his wife, Enana, two years ago — though it’s most often Gezat that you’ll see behind the counter or sitting in front of his business talking with a friend.

Specializing in halal meats and import foods, Hamdi Market serves mostly customers originally from East Africa, who now live in the greater Seattle area.

Gezat says it’s hard work keeping a small business running in a rapidly changing region. And it’s especially challenging to keep afloat in a city where the cost of living continues to creep upward — it takes creativity and new ideas. Keep an eye out for hot foods and deli service that they hope to start offering this summer.

Continue reading “Lake City Neighborhood Spotlight” →

Don’t Miss Opening Day of the LC Farmer Market

Posted on by Director

LC Farmers Market Returns – June 7th

Make sure not to miss opening day of the Lake City Farmers Market on June 7th from 3-7PM. LCFF will be there with our information booth and we will be hosting the North Seattle Family Resource Center on opening day. We will also be sponsoring Taiko Drumming in Albert Davis Park in partnership with Nancy Pew from the Lake City Library. Make sure to support our wonderful market throughout the season.

Stop by our booth for information on the “Music in the Mini Park” concert series, our next Community Conversation, info on the Little Brook Youth Corps Program and much more.

“World Of Tastes in Lake City” Returns

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Pick Up Your “Passport” Starting June 8th And Start Enjoying Lake City

This program to support local establishments will run until September 22nd 2017. Passports with enough stamps to qualify for a prize should be returned to the Kaffeeklatsch by close of business on September 22nd.

Simply make a purchase at any of the participating establishments, present your passport and receive a stamp. Don’t forget to thank the business for taking part.

Passports will be available at the Kaffeeklatsch as well as other of the participating businesses. You can always pick one up at the Lake City Farmers Market and they will be made available at various public events throughout the program.

Please take part in this program to support some of our most treasured Lake City Businesses. You can partner with friends, family and neighbors to qualify for the drawing on whatever level is comfortable. We are hopeful that this  program helps to  demonstrate our community’s ability to support our local small businesses.

We are hopeful that you find a new favorite spot and have fun visiting the ones you already have come to love. These businesses provide Lake City with its “flavor” and it is up to us as a community to help keep them here.

We have three levels of prizes indicated on the passport so that more people can take part in the fun. Winners will be chosen at random and one winner from each of the three tiers of prizes will be awarded. Winners will be contacted via the contact information on the passport within 30 days of the closing of the program.

The First 20 participants to turn in a passport with 7 or more stamps will automatically receive a $10 Gift Card to the Farmers Market

A big thank you goes out to all the businesses taking part as well as our sponsoring businesses – Two Dog Yoga, Kaffeeklatsch, Manila Manila, Elliott Bay Brewery and the Lake City Farmers Market.

What Happened to Romios?

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Still Here with Same Owners, New Name and New Vision

LCFF had a chance to catch up with Petya Kaneva, owner of Villa Verdi, formally Romios Pizza. Petya has been doing business in Lake City for about seven years now and oversaw the recent move from their previous location on LCW  to the new spot at 12360 NE.

How many of you remember Claire’s Pantry?

Petya said that many people had been calling and concerned that they would be loosing their favorite dishes from the Romios menu. She assured me that, while the name has changed, they are retaining the items from the Romios menu. The name change comes with the addition of a wood fired oven and that comes with wood fired pizza. Petya also let me know that the community could expect daily specials and a bit more concentration on Italian style food. They are waiting for the new logo on the menus and a new sign on the front of the building. Check em out when you are out Enjoying Lake City.

Youth’s Visit to Mo and Lu Pasta

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“A little taste of Italy right here in Lake City.”

Here is another installment of our series where the Lake City Young Leaders Program were supported by LCFF to visit some of our local restaurants and report back on their experience.

The following is courtesy of Sata Siad  –   Sata is a high school sophomore and was a summer 2016 participant in the Lake City Young Leaders program

If you want delicious authentic Italian food that’s under $10, come to Mo & Lu Pasta Co., here in Lake City.  Their menu has a wide variety of food like the meatballs, lasagna, pasta and salads, soups, sandwiches, even cheesecakes and drinks and his unlimited bread.  Bruno Lezzi owner of Mo & Lu Pasta Co. previously worked in New York and Hawaii and incorporated some of those styles into his new restaurant which has been in business for 1 year now. This is Bruno’s sixth business and it’s located here in Lake City. And who can forget about desserts, eating his cheesecake is like heaven in your mouth!

“I always cooked for me even at a younger age, 10 years old”, says Bruno. Bruno loved cooking since he was young. He was born in Italy and came to America and started from the bottom, from washing dishes to owning a business. “Everything is housemade” Bruno said. He explains how everything is homemade – the pasta, meatballs, even the cheesecakes and his drinks.  The customer’s favorite food on the menu is the lasagna and the meatballs.

“You have to take a risk because it is a risk when you start”, is the advice Bruno gives to people who want to start their own business. The restaurant looks beautiful.  It has a vintage look, he has newspaper and paints over them that brings life into the restaurant.  Bruno also got a Seattle Times article written about how delicious his food is. A little taste of Italy right here in Lake City. It’s like traveling to Italy without being there.  One of the best Italian Restaurants here in Seattle!

Mo & Lu Pasta Co.

12518 Lake City Way NE, Seattle, WA 98125

(206) 362-1396

Business Hours:

Open Monday-Sunday 11a.m.-9p.m