Loumies' owners focused on bringing home cooking and Levantine cuisine to Ithaca

Tucked on the ground floor of a cinder block building next to a row of restaurants and a parking garage on Dryden Road, Loumies’ glass storefront is at the heart of Collegetown's buzz.

The pink and orange logo on the window invites people in to enjoy a warm plate of Levantine food and a warm smile from lead chef Rania Kaldi.   

"I love cooking. I love inviting people. I love meeting people," she says. 

What started off as an interest for Rania –– she's a former marketing manager at luxury companies in Dubai –– turned into a major career shift that brought her to Ithaca. Each job change and move led her one step closer to her realizing her dreams of starting a restaurant. 

Rania and Raed Kaldi: Team behind Loumies

A vacation to visit family in upstate New York would eventually lead Rania to a big move that would establish Loumies as a burgeoning staple of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and other Levantine cuisines, some of which reflect the recipes from Rania’s birthplace, Lebanon.  

"I fell in love (with Ithaca)," Rania said. Its beautiful blooming trees, change in pace from New York City life and the school system are what sealed the deal, as she wanted a more compatible schooling system for her 8-year-old. 

Rising with the sun to cook and closing the restaurant at twilight with her husband, Raed Kaldi, the logistics operator and co-partner of the business, the two work in the space that was formerly the home of Café Pacific. Officially opened on Jan. 21, Loumies is filled with welcoming energy reminiscent of the location’s former home.  

"It has such a good karma," Rania said. 

While the eatery originally opened in December, it closed when COVID-19 cases rose through the winter.  

"It wasn’t perfect, but it was ours," Raed Kaldi said of the initial opening. 

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Foods that tell a story

Lined with savory za'atar, cheese, chicken and beef pies, main meal options like okra stew and a large pan of marinated Seven Spice Chicken, sides and other vegan and vegetarian choices, fragrant and filling foods cooked in olive oil sit behind the glass and wooden countertop, which were built with the owners’ hands. 

Rania's hope was to make a place for people to have access to healthy foods in Collegetown. 

"Home cooking is the actual design of the recipes themselves," she said. 

Each shelf holds a bowl of spices and dried fruits, like the dried lemon which the store is named after. Each recipe is carefully crafted and cooked for hours by solo chef Rania. Some ingredients like the okra are imported from Egypt.  

Her recipes and cooking techniques were cultivated over the years –– how, though, is a story in itself.  

How Rania got here, her memories expressed through recipes

"Everything happened by accident," Rania said. From the intense world of fashion to investment banking, Rania’s journey to Loumies started in marketing, her expertise.  

As a former marketing manager at the Jumeirah hotel and resort group in Dubai, she became involved in the culinary arts when she started to create cooking classes to promote the hotel with a chef.

Her first bouts of cooking professionally in the United States were inspired by her friends who would ask her to cater for their events while she was freelancing. 

Cooking from her one-bedroom apartment in New York City with her child and husband, she remembers the day that her stove went out. She bought a singular induction oven and cooked enough food for 400 people for a catering event. 

"It was three days. I was working day and night. It’s only one stove. But that's the beauty of the challenge. That's what I do, that's how I thrive. I like the hard(work)," she said. 

Dedicated to learning how to pursue her passion, she learned how to set up her restaurant from a successful pop-up shop she did in collaboration with her neighbor who ran a coffee shop and worked with a consulting group to dabble in the cooking component of the business.  

While she said she always had the skills and experience to manage a business, it was the passion for cooking she had not yet applied professionally.  

"That's how I got myself into trying. I dip my finger in so many things because I don't have the experience," she said. 

Now, the restaurant is where she continues to express her love for learning and pushing through challenges. 

Loumies: What to try and what's next

Her favorite meals? "That is asking me to choose between my kids," Rania said.  

The stuffed zucchini with quinoa and vegetables and the fire-roasted freekeh soup famous for its smokiness share a place in her heart. 

Although she loves making these foods, items like the stuffed zucchini require more work which makes it difficult to maintain stock when balancing other parts of the restaurant. 

For this reason, Rania and Raed are looking to expand their team as they move forward. They want to expand their outreach to Ithaca residents, students and visitors so they too can try the foods the owners love, through the restaurant and catering. 

As their motto reads, "Come on in, grab a plate."

If you go

Fragrant, delicious and filling Levantine foods, with fresh ingredients and imported food items in a cozy storefront on the go and in store, and an option for personalized catering. 

Hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday-Saturday; 1-8 p.m. Sunday 

Location: 114 Dryden Road, Ithaca

Caroline Johnson is a food, drink and culture reporter at the Ithaca Journal. Email her at cejohnson@gannett.com. Follow her on @carolinewrites2 on Twitter for more stories and graphics.