o matter the conflict, over good food, a resolution can be found. This is true in the case of restaurant partners Yared Wassie and Petros Hagos who hail from warring worlds in northeast Africa. Wassie is from the old capital of Ethiopia, Gondar, and Hagos is from Eritrea. After over thirty years of civil war, these two nations finally decided to split up. Now, across the ocean in the unlikely but neutral setting of Calgary, Alberta two men who, fifteen years ago, would have been at war with one another, are now amicable business partners. Their restaurant is called Ibex, because the horned goat is an animal that can easily cross the Ethiopia/Eritrea border.

The cuisine at Ibex is meant to be eaten with your hands. The dishes are a mix of Ethiopian and Eritrean food which means lots of spice and sauces for dipping injera bread in. The chefs of the house are Tersit Worku and Terhas Moges, both the wives of Yared and Petros. The chefs do wonders with fried beef and fish, onions and chickpeas, potatoes and cabbage mixed in with Ethiopian and Ibex’s own spices to create sumptuous dishes to get your hands full.

The constant broadcast of Ethiopian TV and strains of the northeastern music take diners out of their element in this frozen city and into hopes of a warmer climate. The experience of eating with your hands lets people connect with their food in a way that we don’t often experience here. Don’t be afraid to dig in and enjoy every bite. Your friends have food all over their faces too. –J.T.