Star Power: Gordon Ramsay Spices Up Lyla’s in Cuyahoga Falls

Since opening in Cuyahoga Falls in 2015, Lyla’s Family Restaurant has been a quiet neighborhood spot — until recently. After a dramatic four-day transformation led by celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay in June, surrounded by the buzz of cheering crowds and Fox camera crews, it’s now a must-visit culinary destination.

Blending Ramsay’s chef-inspired approach with heartfelt Mediterranean tradition, Ramsay’s team reimagined several dishes, as well as the interior design.

The journey began unexpectedly in March, when a producer from Ramsay’s team stopped in to sample the menu. Impressed, more producers flew in to try other dishes. They then offered to redo the entire restaurant with Ramsay’s team. That’s when executive chef and owner Waleed El-qawlaq and his wife, Noel El-qawlaq, realized a transformation was actually happening. “It is a dream come true to have this opportunity with Ramsay, and hopefully, it revives us,” Noel says.

The renovation became part of one of Ramsay’s TV shows, marking his first shoot in Ohio in a decade. The episode will possibly air by the end of the year. Ramsay was hands-on — literally. When a grease fire from a Salamander tray broke out on a filming night, Ramsay grabbed a towel and helped extinguish it. “The filming crew says it’s real, but I think it was a setup,” says Waleed, a native of Saudi Arabia and Palestine. “The fire chief was invited that day, and there was a fire truck outside.”

The kitchen also became the setting for a clash of ideas during filming — something the fiery Ramsay is known for. “Ramsay tried to show me how to make hummus,” Waleed says. “I told him, What do you know about Middle Eastern hummus?, and he got really angry. He started shouting how he spent two months in the desert learning from the top chefs. Then we went to the kitchen with chickpeas and a blender, and he showed me how he makes hummus. His blender stopped working, and I was going to laugh but held back.”

The two made up. By the end of filming, Ramsay hugged Waleed and said, You got this. You’re a great chef and a hard worker.

Ramsay’s team invested tens of thousands into the renovation, ripping out old booths, installing new kitchen equipment, painting the restaurant and redesigning the dining area.

The most emotional moment came during the final reveal.

“I was totally shocked and almost in tears when I saw my family’s pictures included in the interior redesign,” Waleed says. The sophisticated interior features warm woods, copper accents, muted greens and browns and walls showcasing cookware — the restaurant can now be rented out for evening parties.

Ramsay helped rework the menu, incorporating Waleed’s Mediterranean heritage while applying fine-dining techniques. “Food is Waleed’s love language,” Noel says.

Now, each Ramsay-influenced dish bursts with flavor, precision and personal touches. The bold lineup showcases elevated Mediterranean comfort food.

Starting with an appetizer, the corn and zucchini fritters ($10) have a crisp, deep-fried exterior with a soft and moist interior that blends sweet corn and fresh zucchini.

They’re served alongside a hot Mediterranean herb aioli that adds a tangy, savory contrast.

A part of Lyla’s all-day breakfast menu, the falafel waffle ($12) offers a Dubai-inspired twist on the classic waffle, made with a savory blend of chickpeas, parsley and spices. It’s topped with a bright herb salad of pickled onion and cucumber, then finished with a drizzle of creamy sesame-based tahini-yogurt sauce. “This is a new style of waffle that is very popular overseas,” says Waleed.

The pistachio buttermilk pancakes ($10), also an all-day breakfast menu item, feature a stack of fluffy pancakes crafted with a house-made batter of flour, eggs, almond extract, orange peel and ground pistachios. The pancakes are topped with whipped honey butter, chopped pistachios and an almond-spiced sugar mix. “We make the mix with a lot of pistachio, not just crushed on top,” Waleed says. “When you eat it, you can taste the actual pistachio flavor in the pancake.”

A hearty entree, the fried chicken sandwich ($14) starts with a buttermilk- and hot sauce-marinated chicken, fried and layered with aioli and sumac slaw, consisting of crunchy cabbage, red onion, cilantro, tahini and sumac. It’s served on a brioche bun with fries and a pickle spear.

Finish off your meal with dessert and try the mutabbaq ($8), a combination of a sweet and flaky phyllo dough filled with ricotta and goat cheese, topped with chopped pistachios and drizzled in a light, simple syrup glaze.

“Now, I’m focused on fresh, everything homemade, nothing canned or frozen. … The customers have noticed the difference in everything,” Waleed says. “We’ve had people come in that have never been here before, and then they’ve come back multiple times.”

The experience left Waleed with more confidence and direction, walking away with new recipes, culinary techniques and Ramsay’s validation.

“I hope customers feel the food is made from the heart,” Waleed says.

1911 Bailey Road, Cuyahoga Falls, 330-922-4444, lylasfamilyrestaurant.com