“The best thing about all of this is that none of it was planned,” says head chef, Eli Berchan, as he tells me the story of how he and his wife, Stephanie, ended up opening their first restaurant, Sumac Mediterranean Cuisine, this year on Highland Ave in the Hollywood Media District.
Last year, Eli, a Cleveland native who was living in Lebanon at the time, found himself in Dana Point, CA for a conference, and ended up getting stuck in the United States due to the initial COVID-19 travel restrictions in March of 2020. Stephanie, who was still stuck in Lebanon, was also facing changes unique to the country’s coping with the twin challenges of COVID and the country’s political unrest.
Eli recalls a conversation with Stephanie where he finally said, “Why don’t you sell the cars, get the cat, and fly in – and let’s live here.”
Once living in Los Angeles, they be-friended their landlord, Ferris Wehbe, who ultimately became their investor in Sumac, which is located at the corner of Lexington Ave and Highland Ave.
Sumac is not just a Mediterranean restaurant serving the likes of the classic Baba Ghannouj (eggplant, sesame paste, served with pitta bread) to Organic Moudardara (lentils, rice, crispy onions served with Greek yogurt) — but it also is a concept store and marketplace. They sell such imported goods as hoodies and handbags, to handmade artisan, locally made linens – and homemade delicacies like cinnamon granola and jarred sundried tomatoes.
Eli describes it like a “Mini Eataly” but Mediterranean style. The restaurant is also complete with a lovely outdoor sidewalk dining area.
Eli, whose background is in hospitality, studied at both the Institute Hotelier Cezar Ritz and Les Roches Hotel Management School in Switzerland. He has helped facilitate the openings and cooked extensively for some of the best hotels in Paris, Geneva, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and the Maldives – such as the Raffles Dubai and Armani Hotel. Eli has hosted several excellent destination weddings (including a proposal that took place in a volcano in Italy!) and is the founder of his own wedding and events company.
And the name Sumac? Eli explains, “Sumac is a spice that we love. It’s quite sour. It’s what you get in your Fattoush [romaine lettuce, tomato, cucumber, capsicum, radish, parsley, mint, sumac, lemon juice, olive oil and pomegranate sauce].”
In Lebanon, hosting friends at their home came naturally to Stephanie and Eli. Eli recalls how they have entertained, “from just one couple to 190 people at once. We’ve had bands in our backyard. So, we love hosting, and we love cooking, and being with people. And I think the older you get, the more you start appreciating very simple things.”
As Stephanie and Eli embark upon the adventure of opening this new restaurant, they actually recognize the unintended positive outcome of the pandemic as this has opened up new opportunities not only for their lives, but also for this neighborhood.
As Eli reminisces over the past year, he says, “I definitely don’t thank COVID for taking so many lives – but I thank COVID for resetting the norms of life and reminding us what life is really about. It’s about being there and supporting each other.”
Sumac Mediterranean Cuisine is located at 1156 N. Highland Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038 – and is open Monday through Saturday from 11 AM to 9 PM.