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. NEW YORK (June 17, 2015) – The specialty food industry is flourishing. Sales are at a record high of $109 billion and account for nearly 15 percent of all U.S. retail food sales. It is an industry that hardly existed 50 years ago. Today's impressive performance is the result of the hard work and foresight of industry pioneers who decades ago saw an opportunity to elevate the culture of food in the U.S. and stepped in to make it happen. 
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.By Cemil Ozyurt - The total numbers of Turkish restaurants, cafe, wine bars, clubs, delis have reached 200. According to TurkAvenue.com, New York based Turkish Business News Portal, Turkish places mostly locate in New York City, Brooklyn, Queens and North Jersey. New York City is the most popular place for Turkish food industry and Big Apple has 63 Turkish places, North Jersey area has 42 and Brooklyn has 25 places. Generally the most places have opened last five years and a small portion of them has survived over 10 years. Some restaurants, cafes and wine bars have become a chain as Ayhan's Shish Kebab in Long Island which has eight different locations, Gulluoglu Baklava which has 4 branches in NY and NJ, Toros Restaurants have three branches in New Jersey, Pierre Loti Wine House has three locations in New York City. Pera, Ali Baba, and Ayza Wine Bar & Chocolate have two locations each.
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. 
Zeytin Mediterranean Grill is a new Mediterranean/Turkish restaurant that opened this week in Las Colinas. Zeytin, which means "olive" in Turkish, is doing a cafeteria-style buffet on weekdays at lunch; and full-service, full-menu table service on nights and weekends. Owner Kemal Cenkci previously owned and operated Mediterranean and Turkish restaurants in San Antonio and Northern Virginia. "Our dishes are authentic and made from scratch," he said. "We have the gyro, which is well known and loved across the country, and authentic Turkish Doner Kebab, one of the few in the Dallas-Fort Worth area." 
