OAKLAND — The aromas from her mother’s traditional Tigrayan stews would waft through the kitchen as a young Weyanti Ahmed learnrd her craft, experimenting with the spare tips of onions, bell peppers and jalepeños to “create my own little meals.”
Ahmed’s mother, Hiwot, lived long enough to see her daughter, now 46, become a professional chef in downtown Oakland, with a much longer list of ingredients in her arsenal.
Now, a mural facing the entrance of Ahmed’s soul-food restaurant, Y’s Choice, features a radiant portrait of Hiwot, beaming out at the customers shuffling into booths to feast on garlic noodles, grilled prawns, braised oxtails, turkey chops, deep-fried chicken and more. On another wall, there is a short family biography paying tribute to Ahmed’s cultural history.
The family’s lineage is as diverse as the menu. Two of her own children, daughters Kylah and Niajah, help run the place. And during a recent lunchtime hour, Ahmed cradled her baby granddaughter, Emio, while she crunched numbers for a growing business that a few months ago moved to a larger space on San Pablo Avenue.
Broadly promoted as a soul-food joint, Y’s Choice is not limited to any one cuisine — an intentional choice by the chef, who was born in Sudan, grew up primarily in West Oakland and now commutes from her home in Fremont. The comfort food has some Habesha influences but also happens to include Halal burgers, inspired by the Ahmed’d late Turkish father.
Ahmed, the former chef at Halftime Sports Bar on 14th Street in downtown, had worked as a nurse and in several desk jobs before her five children convinced her that her home-cooking was worthy of a professional pursuit. For a while, she ran a drop-off catering service across the East Bay, which Ahmed described as more tiring than running a daily, 12-hour restaurant.
“It took tenacity and consistency,” she said. “After about a year, I took off running (as a full-time chef) and didn’t want to stop.”
Although Ahmed believes Y’s Choice — which owes its name to the “why” sound in her name, Weyanti — is still a “hidden gem” tucked behind downtown’s more prominent offerings, her plans to open a full bar in the coming months may soon give way to a new nightlife standout.
In the meantime, she’s busy carrying on the legacy of her mother, whose love of cooking continues to resonate in the family — and on the walls of Y’s Choice.
The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Q: When you were pursuing other careers, did you know, deep down, that it was cooking that really drove you?
A: I knew but I didn’t know. I was always the one cooking — all my family members would come to my house to eat. Every holiday, I cooked, but I didn’t necessarily know that it was my passion, or my purpose. I just knew I liked it. Even my mom would say, ‘Who taught you how to cook like this?’
To some extent, I did consider culinary school, though a lot of people were like, ‘You don’t really need to go if you already know what you’re doing.’ I felt like I needed to understand things, like the different aspects of plating. But once I got my foot in the door, I felt like it was pointless.
Q: How did you make the transition from cooking at home to the food-service industry, where you may be expected to serve plates that taste like ‘restaurant food’?
A: A lot of people can really cook, but once you get into the restaurant field and start cooking in larger quantities, it changes the taste of the food. So, I think, that’s where a lot of restaurants lose their touch, because they’re trying so hard to extend themselves that they’re cutting corners. I don’t believe in that. I want to stay authentic in the way I cook — there’s no difference.
My kids helped me cultivate the menu — all their favorites, starting with the garlic noodles. But there were some things that for sure did not make it onto the menu, where they were like, ‘Mom, don’t do that one!’ My jambalaya could have made it onto the menu; it’s really good but really complex, and not everyone liked it. I had stir-fry on the menu but we had to omit that as well.
Q: A few years ago, it felt like bars and restaurants were shutting down left and right, nearly all the time. Do you sense an upswing, that Oakland might be making a comeback?
A: Absolutely. Even when the Condé Nast list came out, I had to look it up, but for Oakland to be rated number-one in the country for food is a really big thing. What I think it had a lot to do with is the different ethnicities that we had in Oakland — it’s so diverse. You don’t just say, ‘I’m going to Oakland for tacos,’ or even soul food. There are so many options here; if I had to go anywhere to eat, I would go to Oakland every time.
Things are changing for the better, a bit. Life isn’t promised to anyone; crime is still a reality. But when you have a good thing going, people will come; that’s what I’m learning. I have to follow what God has in store for me.
Q: How do you work around the troubles getting noticed on San Pablo Avenue then (at the former location) on Broadway?
A: They still think I’m over there and don’t really know I’m here — it’s still a hidden gem. And I can see that, I understand. I’ve been in business only a few years. And I took off running, but it’s a challenge. So we’re trying to work around that.
Q: Do you still cook when you get home at night? What do you eat?
A: No, not at all. I eat air, I sleep! [Laughs] No, I eat a lot of vegetables and try to stay healthy. Any fruits, salads, that’s what I’m having all the time.
I’ve got to run payroll, make sure my inventory is on point, my invoices are paid, everyone is paid up — it’s a lot to juggle. But I’ve been doing it for a while. And I’m a single mom! I’ve been raising my kids by myself and had to hold down my household. Since my mom passed away four years ago, I’ve been taking care of her affairs.
It’s a lot that lays on me, but I got it.
Profile
Organization: Y’s Choice Soul Food Restaurant and Catering
Position: Owner and Founder
Age: 46
Birthplace: The Republic of Sudan; raised in West Oakland
Residence: The Bay Area
Education: Chabot College, Cal State East Bay, life and motherhood
FIVE THINGS ABOUT WEYANTI AHMED
- Born in the Republic of Sudan in Northeast Africa, and migrated to the U.S. at six years old, first to Texas and then to West Oakland.
- Mother is Tigrayan (a region in North Africa bordering Eritrea) and father is Turkish, so food and culture were a major part of upbringing. As a child, stood by mother’s side in the kitchen, operating as her sous chef.
- A mother of four and a grandmother of one. Cooking for children every day for over 20 years propelled a career cooking for the masses. Children are the inspiration behind a homestyle cooking technique, serving as a quality control team and ensuring that every dish is just how it would be prepared at home.
- Story behind the name of Y’s Choice: No one could pronounce my name when I was a kid, so they started calling me Y. The ‘choice’ part came from catering to my kids. Always wanted them to have choices when it came to their food, hence the name Y’s Choice. Also explains why there are so many items on my menu — for there to be something for everyone to enjoy.
- Used to be an extreme coupon-er. Helped me make ends meet when times were tough, so to see how far I’ve come still blows my mind at times. But it just goes to show: with hard work and a vision, anything is possible.
