SCHENECTADY – Meet Bashir Chedrawee, a young man who spent his adolescence working in a family-run Lebanese eatery in Cohoes. Despite his early exposure to the food industry, he envisioned a future in medicine, not in the kitchen.
Chedrawee pursued his passion for science, studying biochemistry and neurological science at the University at Albany, graduating in 2017. However, as we all know, life has a knack for throwing curveballs and altering even the most meticulously planned paths.
During a gap year while applying to medical schools, his mother, Simone, proposed a new venture: opening a small restaurant in West Coxsackie, focusing on the type of home-cooked meals she was known for. Chedrawee agreed to help, and thus, Simone’s Kitchen was born.
The quaint eatery was an instant hit.
“The response was overwhelming. Within a week, we had a queue stretching out the door,” Chedrawee reminisces. The unexpected success was more than Simone had bargained for, and she decided to step back. However, the sudden popularity of Simone’s Kitchen sparked a new passion in her son.
“That’s when I realized the potential of this venture and decided to withdraw my applications to medical school,” he confessed.
Driven by the success of Simone’s Kitchen, Chedrawee decided to expand into the Capital Region. In 2022, along with partners Shan Kaurejo and Julianna Trombley, he established a new Simone’s Kitchen, a fast-casual Mediterranean restaurant located at 121 Jay St. in Schenectady.
“We considered many locations in the Capital Region, but Schenectady stood out as an up-and-coming area,” Chedrawee explained. “The Schenectady location quickly became a success.”
“This business is a testament to a mother’s love for feeding her children, and we aim to extend that love to the community,” Chedrawee said, summarizing his philosophy.
The restaurant, still bearing his mother’s name, offers a variety of Mediterranean dishes, from chicken shawarma to falafel to fresh salads. It also features small plates called mezza, which include hummus and other flavorings such as garlic, za’atar, and tahini. Chedrawee noted that many dishes are adjusted to suit the local palate.
In just 18 months, Simone’s Kitchen has won two Schenectady Soup Strolls and received other accolades.
Chedrawee, born to Lebanese parents in Ghana, moved to the United States at the age of 8. His family established Albaraki, a Lebanese restaurant in Troy and later Cohoes, where he worked as a teenager.
“Even though I wasn’t involved in the core of the business, I gained a good understanding of the industry,” he said.
Simone’s Kitchen in Schenectady has approximately 50 seats and employs 20 people. The business model is about 60% dine-in and 40% takeout. The restaurant uses a service-line model where customers order at one end of a long counter and watch their meal being prepared as they move towards the cash register.
“We have customers coming from Saratoga, Albany, Troy,” Chedrawee said. “The space is modern and relaxing. We aim to provide a luxury experience that is affordable for everyone.”
Simone’s Kitchen is also known for its generosity towards its employees, offering them at least $16.50 per hour with tips, free and discounted food, a gym membership, telemedicine access, and retirement contributions for those who work more than 23 hours per week.
“We prioritize our people, our space, our customers, and then profit,” Chedrawee said in a previous Daily Gazette interview.
Beyond Simone’s Kitchen, Chedrawee has shown an entrepreneurial spirit, branching out to other food services and planning for other businesses on Jay Street.
The original Simone’s Kitchen in Coxsackie, which closed for renovation during the COVID pandemic, is expected to reopen this spring, creating another 20 jobs.
Simone’s Kitchen has also started providing food service at a bar and music venue a few doors down on Jay Street.
Chedrawee is also seeking financing for a couple of other ideas that could bring new businesses to the Jay Street mall.
One of these ideas is Connie’s Confectionary, a dessert shop where amateur bakers can sell their sweet goods on a consignment basis. The other is Connie’s Creative Market, a place where artists and artisans can sell their creative products by consignment.
“There is no actual ‘Connie’ – it’s just a name that sounds appealing,” Chedrawee clarified.
Chedrawee is excited about doing business in downtown Schenectady.
“It has all the elements of a thriving, vibrant area, especially downtown. It’s really fueled by the arts, cultural and entertainment scene. There’s great energy here.”
Simone Chedrawee, although no longer involved in her son’s restaurants, is still active in the food industry. She is currently overseeing the preparation of about 300 senior citizen meals per week under a contract with the Schenectady County Office for the Aging.
“The meals are conventional American fare rather than Middle Eastern, but we do try to use more fresh and healthy ingredients than what such meals often contain,” Bashir Chedrawee added.
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