$50,000 Windfall Helps Rockville Café Owners Start New Business

UPDATED at 10 a.m. Friday ROCKVILLE, MD — Until a few days ago, the married operators of the New Deal Café in Greenbelt feared they would have no way to open a new business after they leave the cafe. The consumer cooperative restaurant has served up tasty fare for nearly nine years under the stewardship of Chef Abdul Kmaiha and Maria Almeida of Rockville; it is owned by its members and open to the public.

The couple was planning to open a new business, but the move appeared too costly. “A commercial kitchen is a lot of money,” Maria said.

Michael Hartman, president of the New Deal Cafe, tells Patch that information the Maryland Lottery provided about the couple and their business plans left out some details. Kmaiha and Almeida are contractors at the café, he says, and are leaving because the board of directors did not extend his management agreement, which ends on Nov. 30. Their operation of the restaurant will end, but the café will remain open for business, Hartman says.

The café — part of the Greenbelt community located in Historic Roosevelt Center and an award-winning live music and arts venue — is about to expand it hours of operation, including the introduction of a coffee/espresso bar and morning service. A new and expanded menu should start about Dec. 1.

You can learn more about the New Deal Café and see its calendar of music, poetry, and the arts at www.newdealcafe.com.

The couple's future grew more and more uncertain until the day Abdul made a series of lucky Maryland Lottery scratch-off purchases. His last lucky Neon x10 scratch-off gave the couple a $50,000 top prize that will keep them cooking up Mediterranean dishes at a new location.

The excitement began when the 64-year-old purchased his first Neon x10 scratch-off at Center Way Mini Mart in Greenbelt. He had a bit of luck and won $5, enough to play again. His second Neon x10 game delivered a $50 prize, enough to pocket part of the prize and purchase two more instant tickets. On this final round, Abdul revealed a 10x symbol and a $5,000 prize, winning $50,000, according to the Maryland Lottery.

He waited for a slow day at the café to tell Maria. The happy husband fished the ticket out and asked her, with a wide smile, if she knew what it meant. The rest is history.

Abdul graduated from a Beirut culinary school and used his talents to travel. He emigrated to the United States nearly 20 years ago and worked as a private chef in the Washington, D.C., metro area. The couple works side by side at the café, with Abdul specializing in Mediterranean entrees and Almeida focusing on desserts.

»Chef Abdul Kmaiha and wife Maria Almeida of Rockville celebrate winning $50,000 on a Neon x10scratch-off. Photo courtesy of the Maryland Lottery