Sad news out of Hendersonville: Riyad Alkasem, better known as “Chef Rakka,” announced the passing of his wife Linda on social media earlier this week:
Cafe Rakka will be closed for 3 days of mourning to the loss of my wife and my partner in life, the mother of my kids, and the visionary of our business. Linda Alkasem has left this world today due to a car accident along with her sister Debbie Wall and their mother Evelyn they all didn't survive the accident.
Linda has lived a beautiful life story and left a family that loves her and friends who will remember her. She is a kind, beautiful, and wonderful mother and grandmother. Our family is going to miss them all very much.
At Café Rakka in Hendersonville — a small restaurant just a short drive north of Nashville — Riyad Alkasem serves up bottles of homemade tea, …
According to news reports, the car driven by Linda’s mother was involved in a head-on collision with a truck that had already struck another car and continued down the road before striking the Hyundai that the family was traveling in. All three occupants were pronounced dead on the scene.
The Alkasems were profiled in a 2020 Scene cover story by then-culture editor Erica Ciccarone. The story focused on journalist Jordan Ritter Conn's book about the family’s journey from war-torn Syria to Hendersonville, where they established their hospitable Mediterranean restaurant Cafe Rakka at 71A New Shackle Island Road.
Cafe Rakka has been a special gathering place in Hendersonville, an island in a sea of chain restaurants that shared the family’s culture and food with warmth. Linda was an integral part of that cozy dining room experience, and charmed Guy Fieri during a visit while filming Diners, Drive-ins and Dives a decade ago — the restaurant immediately entered the public consciousness after that episode aired.
The restaurant has been closed this week to mourn Linda’s loss, and I’m sure that there will be plenty of friends dropping by to offer their respects to the family when they reopen. Her absence will be felt by many.
