Meet the Wickham Market pair behind Tripolitania, Harleston’s new Libyan-Italian restaurant

The pair cooking up a Libyan and Italian fusion restaurant in Harleston have ‘massive ambitions’ to introduce the cuisine to the world.

Maggie Abaida, 38, and Victoria Nice, 45, both of Wickham Market, will open Tripolitania, in Redenhall Road, later this month.

Maggie, a former legal advisor who came to the UK after the Libyan Revolution in 2011, has been a chef for five years.

The duo had lofty ambitions for their venture, Victoria said, with hopes for franchising deals, a cookbook and seeing Maggie’s recipes on supermarket shelves.

Victoria said: “We’re excited but anxious to open, a few things still need doing, but if there are two people in the world who can do this, it is us.

“My background is in business and I encouraged Maggie to introduce this cuisine to the world as I felt it was something people hadn’t tried.

“We’ll be offering a twist on Italian dishes with north African flavours.

“This will be the first restaurant of many. We’ve had messages from people in Harleston asking us when we’re opening, being really positive – momentum is already building. We’d love our next location to be in London.”

Victoria was confident Tripolitania would welcome diners by the end of August, although no opening date has been set.

They are currently awaiting a premises licence.

Maggie described Italian food as an accessible staple, perfect for combining with Libyan cuisine.

The pairing was common due to Italy’s colonial past, particularly in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, she said.

Maggie began her cooking career in venues before switching to private dining, with the goal of introducing people to Libyan cuisine.

Maggie said: “I’m very excited for us to open and I believe we will be very successful. This food is about celebrating that Libyan heritage.

“I’m not afraid of hard work. I came to the UK with just a suitcase and have built a life for myself.

“The community in Harleston is fantastic and we’ve even had people volunteer their time to push us closer to opening.”