“After the New York Times named Calliope one of the 25 best places to eat in the U.S. last year, dinner at the modern Eastern Mediterranean restaurant has become a must. Share a selection of small plates, including favorites like whipped feta, burnt carrots, and smoked short rib.”

“The James Beard Awards® represent the pinnacle of culinary recognition in the US. Since their inception in 1990, the Restaurant and Chef Awards have made icons out of the nation's top restaurant and bar professionals. Today, these semifinalists join a constellation of James Beard Award–recognized leaders who collectively embody the breadth of American culinary excellence.”

“The dishes come to life at Calliope, along with delicious evidence — braised collards sprinkled with peanut dukkah, lamb andouille links crossed over beds of muhummara — that the chef has taken a shine to Southern cuisine. Mr. AlBanna runs this alluring, cosmopolitan restaurant with his business partner, Raven Humphrey.”

Chef Khaled AlBanna channels his childhood flavors from Amman, Jordan, into Modern Levantine dishes over open coals. Raven Humphrey oversees one of the state’s finest beverage programs, pairing wines seamlessly. It’s cultural storytelling through cuisine, which is a recipe Michelin tends to adore.

"‘Twenty years,’ he said. ‘A 20-year lease.’ A 20-year lease is a bold, all-in, generous declaration, a statement that says to this city: we're here for the long run. We believe in you and want you to believe in us.”

“Chattanooga is also known for its international flavors, such as Calliope Restaurant & Bar to the south of the river on East Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard. Headed by Chef Khaled AlBanna, the restaurant serves up some of the best Levantine cuisine in the region; the chicken shawarma and fluffy whipped feta are particular highlights.”

“[…] with inventive spots like Calliope, home to some of the region’s best Levantine cuisine (think fried rice with lamb confit, and fluffy bowls of whipped feta with shatta hot sauce).”

“Calliope is the kind of lively and welcoming joint every neighborhood deserves, offering everything from creative cocktails and small plates to Sofra, a full-on feast of the chef-owner Khaled AlBanna’s picks.”

“This "modern Leventine" restaurant by chef Khaled AlBanna is one of the city's best places for dinner that feels special, both in terms of food and atmosphere, without being stuffy.”

Offering one of Chattanooga’s most unique dining experiences, Calliope Restaurant is a culinary gem that serves up traditional Levantine cuisine with a modern twist.

“… Chattanooga bars well worth a visit are The Bitter Alibi, No Hard Feelings, Calliope Restaurant and Bar, and Matilda Midnight at The Dwell Hotel.”

The story of Calliope starts in Amman, Jordan, where Khaled Albanna spent his childhood alongside his mother who was a chef and passionate home cook.

“When he cooks today, these flavors are ghosts in his memory, resurrected and transported nightly from six thousand miles away into Calliope dishes, which he calls ‘Modern Levantine.’”

Held June 10, the dinner recognizes and highlights chefs of color from around the world. Albanna is one of only few recognized trailblazers in food, wine and spirits invited to present at this year's event, according to a news release. He will join a lineup of chefs from Mexico City, Toronto, New York, San Francisco and Maine, as well as wine and spirits professionals from St. Louis and Chicago.

New Tennessee restaurant Calliope has captured the attention of Chattanooga diners for chef Khaled AlBanna’s deft hand at marrying his roots in Amman, Jordan, with his adopted new home. Witness: deviled eggs with Baharat spices and fresh za’atar, and slow-cooked collard greens with pomegranate and allspice.

In this new restaurant in downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee, chef Khaled AlBanna is cooking food that speaks to his Jordanian heritage.