Through the Trials and Tribulations of the Pandemic, A West Philadelphia Palestinian Restaurant Survives to Celebrate A Decade
By Heather Tenzer
Husband and wife co-owners of Palestinian American restaurant Renata’s Kitchen, Yasser and Kate Aiq, have had a challenging journey as restaurateurs surviving the pandemic. Despite the trials, they’re about to celebrate ten years in business with a free party for the neighborhood on Wednesday, May 10th.
Several years ago, the West Philadelphia fixture moved from a small storefront at 45th Street and Baltimore Avenue to its current 5,000 square-foot bi-level University City location. With the restaurant’s rising popularity, relocating to a space seven times the size of its previous location was necessary. But neither Yasser nor Kate could predict what would happen only a month after their move. Kate tells Al-Bustan, “We opened in January 2020 for six weeks in the new location and then everything got shut down. It was really scary. We thought: ‘What are we going to do?’”
“The hardest part during pandemic was the unknown. You didn’t know when or how things were going to change,” says Kate, citing rising food prices as a challenge. The couple were unsure how to lead their staff through it all. “They were looking to us for answers and we didn’t know either.”
“We wanted to have this party to say ‘thank you’ to the community for supporting us over the past decade,” says Palestinian chef and co-owner Yasser Aiq (pronounced ‘Ike’), who opened Renata’s in 2012 with his then girlfriend (and now wife) Kate. Since opening, the two have survived a small but devastating kitchen fire, moved their restaurant twice (both times within West Philadelphia), married, had two children, and managed to keep their restaurant afloat (and arguably thriving) during the pandemic.
The restaurant serves traditional Levantine fare and classic American brunch (think shakshuka with a side of lemon poppy pancakes).
“We would not have survived without the continued support of friends, neighbors, and our incredibly loyal customers,” says Yasser who was born and raised in Akka, Palestine, a coastal city on the Mediterranean Sea. “The beaches were my favorite thing there … I was always finding adventures as a teen.”
In addition to the United States and Palestine, Yasser has also lived in several European cities. His travels have influenced Renata’s overall menu. As Kate explains, "The menu is a love letter to all of the places that Yasser has called home.” Although, she notes, “Yasser says I’m corny for saying so.”
Featured Levantine dishes include mujadara, humus, grape leaves, fried haloumi, and chicken shwarma. American favorites such as chicken and waffles are also served. Levantine desserts are also included on the menu: knafeh, baklava, and riz bi haleeb.
The anniversary marks not only ten years of Renata’s Kitchen, but also a decade long romance between Yasser and Kate. The couple met in 2012 “the old-fashioned way… at a bar” says Kate, who grew up in New Jersey.
Early in their dating, a restaurant space opened up at 43rd and Locust. Kate showed it to Yasser, who had experience as both a chef and at the front of the house in food establishments around Philadelphia. She encouraged him to open up his own café. But for Yasser, it couldn’t be a solo venture. “He said I need your help,” Kate recalls. From there, the couple’s dating morphed into a business partnership as well.
“It was a gamble – a scary moment,” says Yasser. After Kate agreed to help, the two opened as Café Renata in 2013, initially serving coffee and pastries before becoming a brunch spot. However, Yasser says, “With time, we also grew as a couple and then as a family. It was a learning experience. I would never change it.”
“When I came to the States, I was shocked by the quality of the food. I was always disappointed by the food in Philadelphia – it was just bland,” says Yasser who had just arrived from Europe where the culinary scene was diverse and thriving. But, in the years since, he says, he’s witnessed an explosion of wonderful new local restaurants.
The Aiqs visited Palestine with their children last year, and took a day trip to Nablus, a city in the northern West Bank, known for the best kanafeh in Palestine. “We’d been trying to figure out [how to make] kanafeh for three years,” says Kate. “We were able to visit the old city and [ate] kanafeh until we were stuffed. We figured it out: Getting the ratio of butter and cheese and salt right, and playing with the different types of cheeses.”
Located at 3940 Baltimore Avenue, Renata’s Kitchen includes a full bar and is open for brunch, dinner, and happy hour. The anniversary party, slated for May 10th from 5 to 8 pm, will take place on Renata’s outdoor patio and feature light bites and hors d'oeuvres.
Heather Tenzer is a Philadelphia based writer, journalist and filmmaker. She is the director of the forthcoming documentary The Rabbis’ Intifada, about a community of Orthodox Jews speaking out in support of Palestinian liberation. Tenzer has been supported by grants and fellowships from Yaddo Artist Residency, the Jerome Foundation, the New York State Council on the Arts, and the Queens Council on the Arts.