Milka and Romeo Regalli
Ras Plant Based | New York
February 2025
Born in Ethiopia, Romeo Regalli moved to Paris as a teenager for school. During that time, he started working in restaurants in his spare time. He went on to become a film director and producer before eventually moving to New York in 2011. When he arrived in the United States, he got a job at an Ethiopian restaurant on the Upper West Side called Awash. That’s where he met his wife, and future business partner, Milka Regalli, who has been in and around hospitality since she was a little kid. Milka's mother owned Awash, so she grew up hanging around and helping out at the restaurant. After graduating high school, Milka officially joined the team as a server. Over the next few years, she moved into a managerial role, taking on more responsibilities and learning how to lead a team. While there, Milka and Romeo started dating and eventually took over management of the restaurant’s Brooklyn location. After five years, the couple agreed that it was time to strike out on their own.
They developed a business plan and, in 2017, decided to start a plant-based concept after Romeo’s father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. In 2020, Romeo and Milka opened the first location of Ras Plant Based, blending vegetable-forward Ethiopian cuisine with an American perspective. Pushing through the struggles of the pandemic, the restaurant started to gain recognition from both the press and the local community. Since then, the couple has opened a second location in the West Village, expanding their capabilities and creating room for their staff to grow. While Milka focuses on the front-of-house operations and Romeo on back-of-house, the couple hopes to grow the business and open more locations of the Ethiopian-inspired, plant-based business while prioritizing their team and the surrounding neighborhoods.
