By Cemil Ozyurt - The number of food and beverage establishments owned by Turks or offering Turkish cuisine in the states of New York and New Jersey has reached 300. A comprehensive list of Turkish-owned or foreign-owned but Turkish cuisine-serving dining establishments was compiled in a study conducted by TURKOFAMERICA magazine. In New York and New Jersey, there are nearly 300 establishments operating in categories such as fine dining, authentic Turkish cuisine, steakhouse, seafood restaurant, fast food, cafe, lounge, bistro, diner, bakery, pizza & pide salon, hookah lounge, food trucks, and catering. While the number of businesses owned by Turkish entrepreneurs in America was around 50 in 2009, there has been a noticeable increase in the last 10 years. Since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 until now, nearly 100 businesses have been established.

Elvis Baez is the son of a family who migrated from the Dominican Republic to Union City, New Jersey in early 1970’s. After getting education from Memorial High School, he pursued courses at Bergen Community College, furthering his education. His first professional job was in car sales. After gaining about five years of experience in the industry, he transitioned into album production in 1996. Along with his two brothers, he rented a studio and produced albums under the name LR Records from 1996 to 2004. Elvis developed a fondness for cigars at the age of 18. It was also the year when his first child was born. His father used to smoke cigarettes, so Elvis asked him not to smoke cigarettes around his son. His father respected his decision and quit smoking cigarettes around his grandchild, but Elvis’s brother introduced him to cigars instead. He recalls, "I asked my father not to smoke around my son, but I ended up starting cigars myself."

One of the recent viral videos on social media features a group of Americans cruising the streets of Manhattan in a TOFAS-branded Doğan SLX, with comedian Hayrettin behind the wheel and Americans in the backseat jamming to Cengiz Kurtoğlu, a Turkish musician, record producer, lyricist, songwriter, composer, and pianist. In Times Square, they enjoy döner kebab next to their Doğan SLX. Ali Zivalioğlu, who brought the TOFAS SLX to America, is originally from Giresun and is a truck driver residing in New Jersey. The car is his childhood love as well. Comedian Hayrettin has become one of the most talked-about names on social media thanks to such content. Behind his success stands the mastermind, manager Tolga Doğruer. Shooting videos while touring the streets of Manhattan in an old model car imported from Turkey has become one of their recent fascinating projects.

Turkish Philanthropy Funds (TPF) is a non-profit organization based in the United States that has raised the highest amount of donations for earthquake relief in Turkey, particularly in the earthquake that occurred on February 6, 2023. TPF's Director, Şenay Ataselim, sat down for an interview to discuss the organization's relief efforts and how the funds are utilized. The TPF Türkiye Earthquake Relief Fund primarily focuses on providing project-based grants to non-profit organizations based in Turkey. These organizations are selected through an open call for proposals, but only those that are non-political and non-religious are eligible to apply. TPF ensures that all their non-profit partners undergo a rigorous due diligence process to ensure their effectiveness and equivalence.