Loumies brings Levantine home cooking to Collegetown

Walking into Loumies on Dryden Road in Collegetown is like walking into your mother’s kitchen. First, you notice the aromas — the sweetness of caramelizing onions emanating from the cook pot on the stove, the unexpected zing of cardamom from the warm apple pie and the tang of turmeric from the simmering stew. The second thing you notice is the wide smile and warm welcome from owner and chef Rania Chidiac Kaldi.

“At Loumies, I don’t use complex cooking techniques at all,” Kaldi said. “Everything is very simple, similar to traditional Levantine home cooking. It is the use of spices that make all the difference. That is where I play.”

In fact, Kaldi named her restaurant after a spice — the dried lemons used heavily in middle eastern cuisine. Turmeric is her favorite spice to use due to its anti-inflammatory properties, and mint is another favorite that adds a distinctive flavor to her meatballs.

Kaldi originally learned to cook from her mother while growing up in Lebanon, but she went on to hone her skills while working with a chain of luxury hotels in Dubai.

“The Seven-Spice Chicken and Seven-Spice Rice are my signature dishes that are 100% my mother’s recipes,” Kaldi said. “Later, as part of my career in marketing, I came up with this idea to do cooking lessons to promote healthy eating and to promote one of our hotel restaurants. I became friends with the executive chef and learned from him to prepare food that was healthy yet five-star quality.”

It wasn’t until moving to New York City that Kaldi started catering, at first for friends and family and eventually for larger events. When COVID-19 struck, it seemed like the time was right for her family to get out of the city. With jobs hard to come by, it provided the push she needed to launch Loumies, her first restaurant.

“Here I am, almost 50 years old and going solo as an entrepreneur for the first time,” Kaldi said. “People tell me that I am very brave, but a lot of study went into the development of the concept. We have a plan and we are doing pretty well.”

Though Loumies is primarily a takeout restaurant, it serves anything but fast food. Yes, customers can walk away with a sandwich or a savory hand pie meant to be eaten on the go, but everything is made from the freshest ingredients, nutritious and full of flavor. It was all part of Kaldi’s vision to bring healthy food to Collegetown.

“We have been showered with appreciation of our products and services. People really seem to like it,” Kaldi said. “Many people, particularly in the vegan and gluten-free communities, thank me. Sometimes, they even cook food and bring it to me as a thank-you.”

Though Loumies is not a vegan restaurant, more than 60% of the menu is vegan. Recently, Kaldi developed a new dish, Eggplant Fasolia, in response to a request from her vegan customers for a protein-rich entree. Her version of Aush, a traditional lentil soup from Iran that calls for noodles, has been adapted to make it gluten free. In addition, everything on Loumies’ menu is halal.

“As a member of the Lebanese community, I see how hard it is to find halal food in Ithaca,” Kaldi said. “We source our meat from a local butcher in Syracuse. Some of our specialty items are imported from the Middle East, for example, the artichokes. They are frozen fresh and retain their nutritional value.”

Kaldi refers to Loumies as her “pandemic baby,” and, like a newborn, the restaurant takes up all her time. Although she does get help from her husband and business partner, Raed, and, more recently, her four staff members, Rania does all the cooking herself. With the store being open until 11 p.m. most nights, Rania works long hours but says it is a labor of love.

“This is not like work to me. It enriches me in ways that the corporate life no longer did,” Rania said. “Same thing as having a baby — you pour yourself into it; it gives back. I am not saying that this is better because I have to be honest — corporate life is easier than being an entrepreneur.”

Rania’s one regret is that she doesn’t have time to get more involved in her new community, particularly her daughter’s elementary school. But overall, the family is adjusting well to life in central New York.

“I love Ithaca!” Rania said. “It is not only about the looks and the natural beauty. It is a progressive city, which is perfect for me. Also, people here are genuinely kind. I’ve seen it with our customers.”

Rania isn’t planning to slow down anytime soon. In fact, now that Loumies is somewhat established, Rania wants to put her focus on the catering side of the business.

“I started with catering and I am still doing it but not up to my capacity,” Rania said. “Now, I am proactively looking for and promoting it. My food lends itself to big events, and you can definitely order off the menu, but I can also develop something specifically for the event around some type of theme.”

For example, Rania cited a recent anniversary party where the wife loved Italian food but the husband preferred soul food. She was able to come up with a meal that worked for both of them.

In addition to catering, Rania also has plans to replicate Loumies in other nearby college towns, maybe as soon as next year. In fact, she said with a shy smile, she’s already identified a location.

“If things continue to go well and we continue to hit our numbers, we may be opening up a second Loumies in Syracuse in 2023,” Rania said.

Order Loumies for takeout or delivery at (917) 992-8427 or online at loumies.com. Now open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Food for Thought appears every Wednesday in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@VizellaMedia.com.