We’re Rania and Raed.

I’m Rania. I grew up in Beirut during Lebanon’s civil war. The phone did not always work, so people rarely called before coming over. Family arrived hungry. My father went to the market every morning and brought home whatever was good. My mother cooked, and by lunchtime the pot was big enough for whoever showed up.

She never knew exactly how many people were coming, so she always planned for one more.

I did not think of that as a philosophy then. It was simply how our house worked.

Raed is Palestinian, and he calls himself a peasant with pride. He has spent his working life teaching and building organizations.

Years later, over a plate of stuffed zucchini I had cooked at home, Raed asked me a question:

“Why is our home-cooked food not out there? Walk into many Middle Eastern restaurants and you’ll find grilled meat, shawarma, falafel and mezze. We love all of that. But it is only part of the food we eat. Where are the stews, the rice, the pies, the vegetable dishes — the food families actually cook at home?”

Loumies became our answer.

In 2021 we opened Loumies on Dryden Road in Ithaca. The menu was the food we knew: Seven-Spice Chicken from my mother’s recipe, Bamieh, Eggplant Fasolia, Chicken Sumac, rice, mezze and pies.

People came for lunch and dinner. Then they asked us to feed their offices, graduations, iftars, family gatherings and larger events. Loumies grew through the food, but also through the relationships around it.

In 2023, we had to leave Ithaca suddenly.

And now, as promised, we’re back.

If you knew Loumies before, we’d love to hear what you remember. If you’re meeting us for the first time, come say hello.