A Penn education was not enough to prepare Yis Gigay and Georgia Vass for having to build a bar with 800 pounds of concrete.
But the alumni had to complete this task and many others while preparing to open a Mediterranean restaurant and hookah bar in downtown Philadelphia.
Shouk, which Gigay and Vass recently opened at 622 S. Sixth St., is a testament to the duo's two years of determination and self-reliance.
Though it has only been open for two weeks, the restaurant has already begun to take off, the pair said.
"We've been doing surprisingly well," Gigay added.
But this success came at a high physical and financial cost. The pair completed much of the renovations on their own and designed the entire interior of the restaurant.
"We were out here for six months covered in drywall dust, covered in paint, covered in plaster," said Gigay. "We put in our blood, sweat and tears."
The pair said they had to remove walls and two bars before they could begin to implement their own vision, as well as dealing with a person who was living in the building's upstairs.
"I wanted to create an atmosphere which was foreign, which was exciting to people, which was authentic," Gigay said.
Shouk's design draws from Middle Eastern, North African and Israeli cultures, all of which Gigay said he studied during Art History classes at Penn.
The duo independently installed the floors and benches, painted the walls, designed the decorative graphics and sewed cushions to complete the look.
They also built an upstairs hookah lounge, complete with cushioned seats, low tables and candlelight.
After hiring an Israeli chef and composing a mezza menu -- which includes small, cheap dishes from a range of middle-eastern countries -- the pair was able to finally say the restaurant was ready.
The eatery joins an ethnically diverse neighborhood whose many culturally original dining options are making it a destination.
"I think it's great. I'm very happy they're here," said Jim Caiola, co-owner of the neighboring Beau Monde creperie. He added that Shouk "absolutely" contributes to the neighborhood's diverse culinary scene.
Even before the haul to prepare the restaurant began, its execution had been a long-term goal for Gigay.
His idea for the restaurant originated in Cairo in 1998, while he was studying abroad and saw the many popular hookah bars in the area.
After graduation, he returned to Penn for a master's degree in Arabic but quickly decided to pursue a different career path.
"In the middle of my first year I decided that I wanted to open up a Middle Eastern restaurant instead of continuing to study," Gigay said.
In 2004, Gigay's aspiration to become a restaurateur led him to MarBar, located at 40th and Walnut streets, where he began running a weekly Hookah Night to test his concept.
A hookah allows users to smoke tobacco, possibly mixed with other substances, socially.
While working there, he met Vass and the two quickly decided to become business partners, and the relationship has developed well since then.
"We're going to try to make this work and then we'll see, maybe we'll open another place," Vass said. "I think that's what we both want to do, eventually."
He said the restaurant maintains a relaxed and socially-intimate atmosphere that other Philadelphia outlets lack.
"I think people want chill, international, funky places to go and are a little tired of the ritzy places that Rittenhouse has," Gigay said. "I think people are also tired of dive bars. This, I think, gives young people a perfect in-between."
Shouk - Penn alumni opened a hookah bar and restaurant at 622 S. Sixth St. about two weeks ago - Israeli chef cooks range of Middle Eastern dishes
