The Founders
Fia Berisha
Co-Founder, Restauranteur & Designer
Fia Berisha has over 20 years of dynamic experience in the hospitality industry. She has worked both front and back of the house at award-winning East Coast hot spots, including Daryl Wine Bar & Restaurant, Battello, Elements, Aether, and Mistral. Her keen eye for talent and commitment to excellence have helped earn these establishments critical acclaim and media recognition.
With a meticulous approach to service, food, and ambiance, Fia understands how details like lighting and music—paired with outstanding cuisine and hospitality—create unforgettable dining experiences. Most recently, she has applied this expertise to designing restaurant and event spaces and curating distinguished beverage programs in the historic Ironworks buildings. Thoughtfully blending preservation with innovation, she ensures these former steel and iron factories retain their character while achieving a striking, timeless aesthetic.
In 2021 Fia launched her partnership with acclaimed chef Nicholas Elmi with The Landing Kitchen, an all-day café focused on fresh, seasonal fare. The next opening together, Lark, an elegant rooftop restaurant celebrating coastal Mediterranean flavors. Both concepts, located on the Ironworks property, quickly became standout destinations for elevated dining along the Schuylkill River.
Now, Fia continues to expand her impact on the hospitality scene with the transformation of The Pump House, a historic event space that blends industrial charm with modern sophistication, further solidifying the Ironworks as a premier culinary and event destination.
Nicholas Elmi
Co-Founder and Managing Partner
Nicholas Elmi has a long history in the restaurant business. He launched his career at the renowned Le Bec-Fin in Philadelphia, where he spent several years honing his craft. In 2013, Elmi decided to strike out on his own, opening his first restaurant, Laurel, after winning season 11 of Bravo’s Top Chef. Laurel was nominated by the James Beard Foundation as one of the ‘Best New Restaurants’ in America that year and was named one of GQ’s ten best restaurants in the country.
Since then, Laurel has been awarded four bells by award-winning critic Craig LaBan of the Inquirer and was named the “Best Restaurant in Philadelphia” by Philadelphia Magazine in 2014.
Chef Elmi created the contemporary cocktail bar right next door to Laurel and named it In the Valley, a name that reflects the translation of the Native American Lenape word ‘Passyunk.’ Both Laurel and In the Valley reside on East Passyunk Avenue, which has been recognized as one of Food & Wine’s “10 Best Foodie Streets in America.”
In the fall of 2019, Elmi published his first cookbook, "Laurel: Modern American Flavors in Philadelphia," co-written by Adam Erace. He currently serves as the Chef Chair for Philadelphia’s Taste of the Nation, an annual event benefiting No Kid Hungry, an organization Elmi and his team have long supported.
Nicholas Elmi expanded his culinary footprint beyond Passyunk Avenue with the opening of The Landing Kitchen in collaboration with hospitality expert Fia Berisha launching their partnership to create BE Hospitality. The Landing kitchen is located at The Ironworks at Pencoyd Landing, The Landing Kitchen is an all-day café offering locally inspired breakfast and lunch dishes with a focus on fresh ingredients and community gathering.
Building on this success, Elmi and Berisha also launched Lark, a stunning rooftop restaurant at The Ironworks. Lark showcases Elmi’s signature approach to coastal-inspired, seasonal cuisine, featuring thoughtfully sourced ingredients and expertly crafted dishes in a sophisticated yet inviting atmosphere.
Most recently, they unveiled The Pump House, a brand-new event space within The Ironworks. With its industrial-chic aesthetic and scenic riverside location, The Pump House provides a unique setting for private events, weddings, and special gatherings, further expanding their vision of creating vibrant hospitality experiences in the region.
Elmi resides in Collingswood, New Jersey, with his wife and two children.
