Rana Edwards

Rana Edwards Co-Founder and Executive Director of I LOVE POKE, a concept born out of her desire to find her favorite foods while living in Milan.

In fact, after completing her BA in Pharmacology from Stony Brook University, a M.S. in

Nutrition at Harvard she moved to Italy to complete her Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry. It was during this time that driven she decided to deep-dive into the impact of processed foods on health and build a healthy fast-food format that would celebrate fresh ingredients (fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, healthy fats, gluten-free, etc.).

In 2017, together with her husband, she opened the first Hawaiian Poke store in Milan growing the business into a 130 I LOVE POKE stores throughout Italy aiming to quickly expand internationally soon also.

Rana’s passion for healthy foods in matched only to her commitment towards sustainability. I LOVE POKE was the first chain of its kind to be ASC and MSC certified for using

salmon and tuna from sustainable farms and responsible fisheries, respectively. She’s also very involved in innovating the business and optimizing quality standards and overall production.

She believes in teamwork and the American concept of "hard work," which has in fact enabled her to realize her "American dream" in Italy.

Rana is a mother of two children: a 5-year-old girl and a 2-year-old boy.