30 Years of Culinary Excellence: Turkish Kitchen's Iconic Legacy
Turkish Kitchen, the oldest fine dining Turkish restaurant etched in the memory of New York. After its establishment in 1992 by Chef Orhan Yeğen, it was acquired by businessman Ilgar Peker and his partner in 1993. Celebrating its 30th year this year, Turkish Kitchen is one of the iconic Turkish establishments in New York known by many customers from the east to the west of America.
"When I took over this place, I sat here for the last time comfortably having dinner. From that point on, my real work began," he said. "And just as I said, I never had the thought of sitting here in the evening, away from work, and having a meal."
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TURKOFAMERICA is now covering stories of Turkish / Mediterranean restaurants in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut on a special issue. New York City, which has the most restaurants in the world, invents new places every year. There are 24,300 restaurants to meet the needs of people in New York City, which has an area of only 320 square miles. There are over 100 Turkish / Mediterranean restaurants in tri-state area. The history of Turkish restaurants in Manhattan goes back to the years when Turkish immigrants started working at Armenian restaurants. The oldest Turkish restaurant in Manhattan is Topkapı, which was established by Ugur Eğilmez. Bosporus, Butterfly, Genghis Khan’s Bicycle and Deniz Restaurant followed Topkapı. It is possible to make this list longer, but one of the drawbacks of such a list is that these people were not able to continue their business. Disputes between partners or the difficulties of business were the reasons for take-overs or closings.
NEW YORK (June 18, 2015) – The Specialty Food Association is launching its first-ever ad campaign and retail test designed to build consumer awareness and engagement with specialty food. The theme is "Celebrate Specialty Food. Craft. Care. Joy." The tests come as sales of specialty food have topped $100 billion for the first time and continue to climb, and as industry growth far outpaces that of conventional food. 
Turkish-Americans celebrate their heritage this month with a week of restaurant discounts at participating eateries, a parade and festival, and an event at Borough Hall. The 32nd Turkish Day Parade and Festival kicks off on Saturday, May 18, at noon. Organized by the Federation of Turkish American Associations, the parade takes place in Manhattan, with participants gathering at 56th Street and Madison Avenue and marching down to Dag Hammarskjold Park on 47th Street and 1st Avenue, where they’ll join with the festival.
Port Jefferson Station, NY - By Lon Cohen - portjefferson.com - Semiral “Sam” Catalbas says it’s easy to guess why she’s opening Chit Chat Café, a Turkish-American café and grocery store on Route 112 in Port Jefferson Station. “Because I’m Turkish,” she says with a smile, her accent clearly coming through her words. The Port Jefferson Station resident, who said that her husband owns a gas station, is originally from the cosmopolitan city of Istanbul in Turkey but has lived in the United States for the past 10 years. Catalbas partnered with her cousin, Gilly Akcay, who is also the landlord, to open the new café. 
