Melanie and Anthony Ghoul in their restaurant Ceci in Milan in June 2026. (Credit: Melanie Ghoul)
On Instagram, Melanie Ghoul appears with a disarming smile and natural ease, speaking in "imperfect" Italian — learned on the spot — but with confidence. She talks about lemonade, carob molasses, tabbouleh and hummus. "If you don't speak Italian here, nobody listens to you," she explains from the kitchen at Ceci (pronounced "tshetshi"), which means chickpeas in Italian.The 39-year-old Lebanese woman started the business with her brother, Anthony, in Milan in February 2025, first as a "dark kitchen" before opening a physical shop on Nov. 1. The concept is simple: bowls that customers construct as they wish, thanks to a "mezze library" designed for Milan's busy pace. Classic rotisserie in France Lebanese 'farouj' regains its prestige in Paris In just a few minutes, customers...
On Instagram, Melanie Ghoul appears with a disarming smile and natural ease, speaking in "imperfect" Italian — learned on the spot — but with confidence. She talks about lemonade, carob molasses, tabbouleh and hummus. "If you don't speak Italian here, nobody listens to you," she explains from the kitchen at Ceci (pronounced "tshetshi"), which means chickpeas...
