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.

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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 hist

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