Photos by Kelli S. Hewett.
Ahmed Smadi of Vestavia Hills shows off a signature chicken platter dish outside his Levant Mediterranean Fusion food truck in Trussville.
Ahmed Smadi has crammed a lot of life into his 27 years.
At barely 7, he teetered on a plastic milk crate to run the cash register in his family’s multifaceted convenience store and their restaurants along Columbiana Road, including The Ranch House, Everyday Cafe and Everyday package store.
By middle school, he was hustling Monster energy drinks from his locker and investing his $1,000 profits in the stock market.
At 19, he opened a Thai-inspired ice cream business called Roll-Up. It thrived in the back of his family’s store for nearly three years until the pandemic.
Smadi even dabbled in modeling and appeared in the 2024 independent film “Saffron Kingdom.”
Photos by Kelli S. Hewett.
Smadi and his crew work the line inside the Levant Mediterranean Fusion food truck.
His latest venture, Levant Mediterranean Fusion, is a five-star Google-rated Trussville food truck, nestled in the parking lot of the Beechnut Street Shell gas station.
“I’ve fallen on my face a couple times,” Smadi said. “I’ve opened businesses and closed already. I’ve lost money that some people will never make. I’ve learned that sometimes you gotta have patience, step back. A lot of people give up. But it’s a guaranteed ‘no’ if you stop.”
Smadi, a 2016 Vestavia Hills High School graduate, crafted and curated the entire menu before launching in August 2025.
“You can just taste the love,” Smadi said. “You can taste the feeling someone really cared about making this. I tell people, ‘I hope you enjoyed that as much as I enjoyed making it.’”
He offers favorites like chicken and yellow rice platters, gyros and Mediterranean street tacos — all with twists on exotic flavors and seasonings, many inspired by his family’s Jordanian roots and international travels. Smadi’s mom makes the tahini.
Longtime customer Jake Stockton appreciates the hard work and personal service.
“It’s absolutely amazing — best food I’ve had, hands down,” Stockton said. “It’s got flavor in it. I don’t know anybody here that makes food like that.”
The business was born after Smadi earned his business degree from UAB and faced a frustrating job search. A buddy who owns the Shell agreed to let him set up Levant in his parking lot.
“I never thought anything was really out of reach,” Smadi said. “Everything was a recipe. One plus one is two.”
Some of his favorite childhood memories are hanging out with his dad’s friends, small business enthusiasts who loved to go look at gas stations and real estate — all while discussing the complexities of life.
But by 13, Smadi had developed a very grown-up concern.
“I’d be walking around the register, like, how can I get five gas stations? No one’s gonna marry me if I don’t have five gas stations,” Smadi said with a laugh.
Now, he urges others to think about their dreams and dedicate the work to make them happen.
“If you showed up seven days a week, 365 days a year, something’s going to move one step closer,” Smadi continued. “You just have to do it.”
For more, visit levantbham.com.
