Menbere Aklilu has changed the lives of women, girls, and domestic violence survivors in Richmond and abroad—and it all started with homebrew. Known to her friends as “Menbe,” she turns tragedy into opportunity through acts of service. 

Herself the product of a rape, Menbe was born in Gojjam, Ethiopia to a single mother who worked tirelessly to provide for them. “She raised me by herself, selling homemade beer,” Menbe says. “In Ethiopia, everybody makes beer,” a tradition passed down through generations of women. Her mother’s entrepreneurial journey started by selling tella, a traditional beer, and then tej, a honey wine; from there, she opened her own restaurant and hotel. 

But when Menbe was 10, she saw her mother shot and killed by a police officer who was angry after losing a court battle over an unpaid bill. “She was 42 years old, and was a strong, brilliant business woman; the strongest woman I have ever seen,” Menbe says. “She lives in me, because I remember how she managed people, and I said, ‘I will be like her.’” True to her word, Menbe owned and managed Richmond’s Salute e Vita Ristorante for nearly two decades. 

After her mother’s death, Menbe lived with her half-brother in Ethiopia’s capital city, Addis Ababa, where she graduated high school and acting school. Working at the National Theater, she fell for a director who promised to make her a star in Italy. She had a brief career there as an actress, but the relationship became abusive, and it didn’t stop when she got pregnant. When her partner threatened to kill her, Menbe left. Homeless and days from giving birth, she found refuge at a women’s shelter in Rome. She worked there as a maid, moved out, and made her own way; in 1995, she struck out for America with her young son. 

Soon after arriving in Richmond, Menbe was hired at Salute, where her fluent Italian, personable nature, and tenacious work ethic made her a natural fit. In just six years, she ascended from the $7-an-hour hostess position to assistant manager, manager, and general manager, living in project housing and raising her growing boy. When the restaurant went up for sale in 2002, a regular customer—himself an Italian immigrant and self-made millionaire—told Menbe she should buy it. When she said she didn’t have the money, the customer lent her $500,000 on a five-year term. She paid it back in 11 months. 

“I bought this huge restaurant with 38 workers, and I ran it for 16 years,” she says, still incredulous that “a total stranger believed in me.” This experience solidified her belief that “giving back is the most important thing, lending a hand to someone when they need it the most,” Menbe says. “When I became successful, I began thinking about … how to give back to the community, and I chose to help women and [domestic violence] survivors and young girls.” 

Since then, Menbe has received numerous awards and recognition for this work. She established the Menbe’s Way Fund, managed by the nonprofit Richmond Community Foundation, where she sits on the board. The foundation donated $15,000 to help build the Contra Costa Family Justice Center, which provides services and safe space for family violence survivors; offers scholarships to young girls; and gives to community organizations. Her restaurant served free Thanksgiving dinners to over 6,500 under-resourced veterans and hosted Mother’s Day events to empower women.

Twice, she took domestic violence survivors from Ethiopia into her home, funding everything from flights to medical care from her own pocket—including the massive reconstructive surgeries needed by one of the women, Atsede Niguse, after her husband threw acid in her face, disfiguring and blinding her. 

And 45 years after leaving, Menbe returned to Gojjam, transforming the very restaurant and hotel where her mother was murdered into a shelter that enables educational opportunities for 80 young girls. “Life is great for me, and I succeed by working hard, but I can’t keep all the success for myself,” Menbe says. “I have to share it.”