Wednesday, September 23, 2026 6:30-8:00pm
Logan Street Market
1001 S. Fourth Street, Louisville, KY 40204

PANELISTS

Eric Morris– (Stelly’s Deli) is an experienced chef, entrepreneur, and musician from Middletown, KY. Working in restaurants at a young age, his passion for food developed over the years to where he wanted to venture out on his own to try his go at ideas and concepts. 

Since 2014 he has opened and developed restaurant concepts in both Louisville and Indiana and had a brief stint as the executive chef for the UofL football team. He currently owns Stelly’s Deli in Logan St. Market. where they make fun and creative takes on sandwiches and Burritos. 

In his free time he enjoys writing and recording music and spending time with his friends

Abdellah Harkan- (Habibi’s Crepes)

My name is Abdellah, and cooking has always been more than just a job for me—it’s a passion and a way to bring people together.

With years of experience working with food and hospitality, I discovered a special passion for creating crepes and waffles. I enjoy turning simple ingredients into something delicious, beautiful, and memorable. From preparing the batter to choosing the toppings and creating new flavors, I put care and creativity into everything I make.

My food is inspired by my Moroccan background, my love for cooking, and my experience with different cuisines and flavors. I believe that good food should not only taste great, but should also create a feeling and a memory.

Today, I’m focused on sharing my passion through my crepes, waffles, and other creations, while continuing to learn, experiment, and develop new ideas. My goal is to create food that people enjoy, come back for, and remember.

For me, every crepe and every waffle is a small piece of my passion.

Bapion Ziba: (Ziba’s Bistro)

Originally from Burkina Faso in West Africa, Bapion Ziba’s love of food began at an early age, learning to cook alongside his grandmother and aunts. What started as a childhood passion eventually took him to France for formal culinary training and into kitchens around the world, helping launch restaurants in France and Casablanca, Morocco.

Bapion permanently made Louisville home in 2015 and began building a new chapter of his culinary career. After starting with catering, he pursued his longtime dream of owning a restaurant and opened Ziba’s Bistro at Logan Street Market.

At Ziba’s, Bapion brings together the different places and cultures that have shaped his life. His cooking combines the bold flavors of West Africa with influences from French, Italian, and American cuisine, creating food that is both deeply personal and distinctly his own.

Beyond the kitchen, Bapion is committed to giving back. He supports Louisville’s Burkinabe and broader African communities, helps fellow immigrants as they build new lives in the city, and mentors aspiring chefs. He has also returned to Burkina Faso to provide pumps and irrigation equipment to farmers in his home community.

His work as a chef, entrepreneur, mentor, and community advocate earned him recognition as a Jewish Family & Career Services MOSAIC Award recipient—an honor celebrating immigrants, refugees, and first-generation Americans whose work has made Louisville a stronger and richer community.

Sameera and Marilyn- (Sri Mantra)

Meet Chef Sameera, a native of Sri Lanka, who highlights his family’s home grown spices through vibrant traditional dishes. Join us on a delightful culinary journey through Sri Lanka, where the cuisine is rich, colorful, and bursting with flavor. Alongside his wife, Sous Chef Marilyn, they will recount tales of life in Sri Lanka, the amusing account of how they crossed paths, their latest venture of running the ONLY Sri Lankan restaurant in Kentucky.