April 2, 2025

From Refugee to Restaurateur: The Story of Zemam’s

How a man can go from a refugee of a war-torn country to owning one of the premiere restaurants in Tucson.
Produced by Chance Ellison From Season 11 Nature and Environment
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Amanuel Gebremariam came to this country over 40 years ago from a war-torn nation in Africa. With no real prior experience, he decided to start his own restaurant. Despite the fact that an Ethiopian restaurant was unheard of at the time in Arizona, Zemam’s became a rousing success. See how through resilience, and hard work a man can go from refugee to the owner of one of the most acclaimed restaurants in Tucson.

Producer: Chance Ellison
Co-Producer: Danny Sax
Videographer: Danny Sax
Editor: Danny Sax
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