"The happy combination of fortuitous circumstances," Scottish author Sir Walter Scott.
That quote beautifully sums up how earlier this year I started baking for a hip coffeeshop in the historical district in Istanbul.
So here's the story:
Two friends, an American and an American-Canadian, visit Turkey several times on vacation and fall in love with the country. They quit their U.S. jobs, move to Istanbul and dream of opening a coffeeshop.
They find the right location in Sultanahmet. Construction begins.
A neighbor, seeing the new construction, walks by nearly every day to see what's happening. This neighbor, Kelly of Playing Around Workshops in Istanbul, is a good friend of mine.
Earl and Ken tell Kelly they are looking for a French pastry chef. She tells them she knows just the right person.
Well, I'm not French. However, I am trained in making French pastries thanks to working at Jean-Georges in NYC.
So I make some of my chocolate ganache tarts, strawberry-vanilla cream tarts, lemon curds tarts and chocolate brioche.
One day, I meet Earl and Ken. I tempt them with my sweet pastries. And soon a partnership is born!
Right now, you can find my fig and frangipane tarts, homemade peach pies, mocha swirl cheesecake, chocolate-dipped biscotti and more at Denizen Coffee in Sultanahmet. I make the pastries while Earl and Ken provide the freshest cup of coffee - iced or hot, cappuccino and espresso in the area. No Nescafe here!
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| Fresh Turkish figs star in this frangipane tart at Denizen Coffee in Istanbul. |
Denizen Coffee has some delicious panini sandwiches and smoothies on the menu too. I've even taste-tested them for you!
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| Smoked turkey panini sandwich - one of my regular lunches when I stop at the coffeeshop. |
Earl and Ken also dish up the local gossip and make me laugh whenever I pop in the coffeeshop.
If you live in Istanbul or are just visiting the city, you must stop by Denizen Coffee. Earl and Ken will greet you with a smile and then fix you right up with a jolt of caffeine and tempt you with one of my sweet pastries. If you need sightseeing advice, they can provide that too.
I'm very lucky to have met these fellow expats thanks to another expat here in Istanbul.
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| Earlier this week, Istanbul Daily Secret popped in for a photo shoot. That's me in the middle with my two favorite coffee guys - Ken and Earl. |
Denizen Coffee
Address: Sehit Mehmet Pasa Yokusu No. 8
Sultanhamet, Istanbul
Here is a map.
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| An inside look at Denizen Coffee during one of my early morning deliveries. |