Eleni was born and raised in Ethiopia. After moving to the United states in 2001, she worked in accounting for a few years. After her first son was born Eleni found herself at home with a lot of time to recreate the kind of dishes she enjoyed growing up in Ethiopia. This time cooking inspired her to begin sharing those dishes with others, and she established her Ethiopian food business, Eleni’s Kitchen. Eleni’s kitchen has been catering traditional Ethiopian food in Portland, OR for the last eight years. Eleni also teaches Ethiopian cooking classes at Portland Community College.