Abraham Gessesse

Coming Up

Training at University of Northwestern in Roseville, Minnesota began the foundation. Abraham Gessesse then moved into culinary arts training at Hubert H. Humphrey Job Corps, where repetition and discipline shaped the habits that show up later in service. Professional kitchens added pace and precision to that base. As an extern and worker at Brasserie Zentral in Twin Cities, Abraham Gessesse worked inside the demands of line service; as a worker at Spoon and Stable in Twin Cities, he continued to build range in another exacting environment. A staging chef role at Restaurant Kontrast in Oslo, Norway extended that experience abroad. The path is incremental and practical: each stop adds another working layer to the kitchen he would later run. Today, Abraham is chef-owner of Hyacinth (since 2023).

Where They Are Now

Since 2023, he has led Hyacinth as chef-owner, with a style that reads as controlled rather than showy. His own language is direct: “The way that I approach food, the ingredients, I just treat them as already perfect.” That principle sets the frame for a kitchen that starts from what ingredients already offer and works carefully from there. “I’m not trying to manipulate what God or nature has come up with. I’m just trying to appreciate and enjoy it.” On the plate, that means less intervention, more attention. The aim is not to force a point, but to make room for character to stay intact. “

Signature

Abraham's signature dishes include bucatini cacio e pepe, fusilli with an Ethiopian-style beef Bolognese, risotto al salto, duck breast à l'orange, and fried Castelvetrano olives. The list shows a kitchen working across Italian forms and a specific Ethiopian inflection, with comfort food handled in a straightforward register.

In Their Words “Also, for me, it’s about being accountable and also trying to do the best for the people around me and be the best kind of person I can.” “The way that I approach food, the ingredients, I just treat them as already perfect.”