Shaw Main Streets Honors Three at 2012 Gala

At its 2012 biennial gala, Shaw Main Streets named the recipients of three awards: Shaw Champion, Shaw Community Partner, and Shaw Game Changer Business.  The deserving winners — Henok Tesfaye, Old City Green, and The Passenger, respectfully — are valued contributors to the positive trajectory of the Shaw community.

Shaw Champion Award Winner:  Henok Tesfaye

Henok Tesfaye is co-owner of Etete Ethiopian Cuisine, one of Shaw’s most noted restaurants, and CEO of U Street Parking, Inc., a parking management and services company he founded in 1998. A prominent member of metropolitan Washington, DC’s Ethiopian community, Tesfaye was appointed to fill an unexpired term on the Shaw Main Streets Board of Directors in 2009. He is currently serving his first full elected Board term. He chairs the SMS Organization Committee. His spectacular successes as an entrepreneur have been featured in two front page articles in the Washington Post. Tesfaye has been active supporter of such Shaw Main Streets events as Keep Shaw Beautiful Day, the Shaw Main Streets Golf Classic, Shaw Open House, 9th Street Tulip Planting, and the annual Shaw Main Streets Holiday Party.

Shaw Community Partner Award Winner:  Old City Green

Shaw’s outdoor garden center, Old City Green, opened in 2009 on a vacant lot at the southwest corner of 9th and N Streets, NW. Landscaper Frank Asher transformed the lot into the go-to place for Shaw residents to get plants, materials, and advice on beautifying their gardens and other spaces. OCG has partnered with Shaw Main Streets on treebox planting and beautification projects. OCG won the Best New Shaw Business of 2009 award.

Shaw Game Changer Business Award Winner:  The Passenger

Brothers Tom and Derek Brown opened The Passenger in 2009 at 1021 7th Street, NW, after stints in such noted DC venues as Cork and The Gibson. A runner up for the Best New Shaw Business of 2009 award, The Passenger has garnered international attention for Derek Brown’s outstanding mixological expertise. The bar is actually several bars in one: The Columbia Room, The Vegas Room, The Train Car, and The Passenger. The Passenger, named for an Iggy Pop song, has been cited as one of the 50 best bars in America by Food and Wine and one of the 25 best cocktail bars in America by GQ, in addition to other awards