Habibi Supper Club’s Chef Miled Finianos Teams Up with Philly Hummus Girl, Bringing Lebanese Flavors to South Philly

Elissa Odeh                      

Philadelphia’s own celebrity chef, 29-year-old Lebanese American, Miled Finianos, founder of Habibi Supper Club, is known for his high-end communal monthly pop-up dinners with a Levantine-inspired menu that introduces a new aspect of Lebanese cuisine.

Finianos grew up between Lebanon and the United States, spending 15 years in Miami then moving to Philadelphia six years ago. What started for him as small fun dinners with his family and friends in Miami has quickly grown into a community in Philadelphia, bringing people from all different backgrounds together for a gourmet meal. Through these dinners, Finianos meets people who share his yearning for his homeland and crave a sense of belonging.

 Miled Finianos preparing food for his guests on the second evening of his Valentine's Day celebration dinners. 

A year after his first supper club dinner in December 2023, tickets to Finianos’ events — usually hosted at his home in Fishtown or at other private homes around Philadelphia — typically sell out in a matter of hours.

For the first time, Finianos is teaming up with fellow Lebanese American chef Miranda Stephen, 28, founder of Philly Hummus Girl culinary brand, to bring a taste of Lebanon to Philadelphia. On March 23rd, Habibi Supper Club and Philly Hummus Girl are organizing their first collaborative pop-up event at Herman’s Coffee in South Philadelphia.

Stephen, who grew up between Dubai and Pennsylvania, traces her roots back to Kfarsghab, a northern Lebanese village that neighbors Finianos’ own hometown of Zgharta.

“Being Lebanese and growing up rather nomadic, certain flavors just click when I take a first bite,” Stephen told Al-Bustan News of Finianos’ food, adding that it sparked childhood memories of her own family’s cooking.  

Chef Miranda Stephen at a Makers Table event in October 2024. Photo credit: Gab Bonghi

When the two first met in Philadelphia, they immediately bonded over their shared ancestral homeland.

For their pop-up event, the two chefs are coming together to bring the flavors of their Lebanese villages to South Philadelphia.

The planned menu includes Fatteh, which combines crispy pita bread, yogurt and chickpeas, and Sambousek, a chicken and beef-stuffed pastry.

“The menu is made up of dishes we grew up eating on a Sunday morning at home, coming together to create a one-of-a-kind Lebanese brunch experience,” said Stephen.

Finianos said that he is excited to work with Stephen because he admires her food and special touches to different Lebanese recipes, not strictly following traditional styles.

“I love that we can go traditional, but we do not have to stick to tradition and we can color outside the lines.” Finianos told Al-Bustan News.

Indeed, Finianos does not shy away from experimenting and he showed this at his latest event. For Valentine, Habibi Supper Club held back-to-back communal dinners at Finianos’ home in South Philadelphia on February 14 & 15, for which Finianos prepared an eclectic love-inspired seven-course menu that fused traditional Levantine flavors with diverse international dishes.

For Valentines Day, Chef Finianos prepared 7 courses, one of which was the Tagliatelle Cacio e Bharat. Photo credit: Miled Finianos.

“For Valentine’s Day, I wanted to use dishes that were traditionally romantic and give them an Arab twist,” he said. For the dinner, he prepared classic French, Italian, and other international dishes, but made each his own by adding classic Lebanese ingredients coming all the way from his hometown of Zgharta. For example, he prepared tagliatelle cacio e baharat. The dish irreverently fused the classic Italian pasta and cheese dish tagliatelle cacio with baharat, the traditional Middle Eastern spice blend. Finianos also prepared branzino with citrus olive relish, which he transformed with the popular Middle Eastern spice sumac.

Guests attended a Valentine’s Day Dinner on February 15, hosted by Habibi Supper Club. Photo: Miled Finianos.

Each evening, the event attracted a diverse audience of 12 people who came as strangers and left as friends.

“I like to say that they are strangers who turn into ‘Habibis’ at the end of the dinner,” said Finianos.

Habibi, meaning “my beloved,” is one of the most used Arabic terms of endearment, hence Finianos’ name choice for his pop-up dinners. “People who come to my dinners are my Habibis,” Finianos said. “I want them to feel the love and inclusion.”

As Nancy Ajram, Wael Kfoury and other popular Arab artists played in the background, guests shared laughter and conversation.

Couples in attendance on February 15th included chef Miranda Stephen and her boyfriend, Adam Burtt, as well as South Philadelphia resident Ronda Takiedine, 34, a Syrian American, and her Bangladeshi American husband Yeasin Chowdhury.

To Stephen, the dinner reflected the true value of Lebanese cuisine and hospitality. “Habibi Supper Club is not just a dinner; it is an elevated and intimate dining experience that gives a much-deserved spotlight to Lebanese cuisine as we know it—Homemade and for the table,” Stephen told Al-Bustan News.

Finianos prepared Fattoushy Caesar Salad for Valentine’s Day.

Takiedine said that she liked that she got to try different international flavors with Finianos’ special touches.  

“I feel like when people hear of Arabic food, they just think of ‘Shawarma, Kabob, Falafel,’ so it was very refreshing to be able to experience something so simple yet so elegant,” said Takiedine, adding that she especially enjoyed Finianos’ Fattoushy Caesar Salad, which combined Italian Caesar salad dressing with fattoush, a Lebanese salad made of toasted pieces of bread and mixed greens.   

Finianos sent guests home with a mixtape filled with Arabic songs that radiate nostalgia, warmth and romance. Finianos decorated the cassette with pictures of his parents and grandparents, the people in his life who taught him how to love, he said.

He derives his inspiration for cooking from both of his grandmothers as he recalls how they garnished their tables with rustic dishes and aromatic scents.

Growing up, Finianos remembers how one grandmother never let him come to her house without feeding him and how she always sliced fruits for him

Finianos explained how food and hospitality are inherent to Lebanese culture; a love language that is integrated into his identity.

“Cooking is how we tell each other we love each other,” said Finianos. “Nothing screams ‘I love you’ more than ‘Did you eat today, habibi?’”

For Valentine’s Day, Chef Finianos prepared 7 courses, one of which was the Fried String Cheese with Honey and Thyme. Photo credit: Miled Finianos.

While Finianos never thought he would be at the helm of hosting supper club dinners, he feels amazed witnessing the success of his events and hearing the feedback of his guests, or as he likes to call them, his habibis.

“It is more than I ever dreamed it would be,” said Finianos. “It’s not about food anymore; it has become about community.”

The supper club dinners have helped Finianos stay rooted in his Lebanese heritage. “I love my American side, but the land calls for you and the culture calls for you,” said Finianos.

Now that the club has found its footing, Finianos is looking to expand. He plans to open a permanent space — a hub for Arab Philadelphians — in South Philadelphia: a café by day and a supper club by night.  

But his goal stays the same. Through his cooking, Finianos aims to introduce Philadelphians to diverse Lebanese dishes, hoping that it reflects what he describes as “a taste of his homeland.”

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Elissa Odeh is a Palestinian journalist from Lansdale, PA. She graduated from West Chester University with a BA in media and culture and a minor in journalism. Her work has been published in Lehigh Daily, Daily Local, and the New Orleans Review.