Here we go.

I have been a chef and a restauranteur since 1998. I had a restaurant in Istanbul called Kantin for 18 years. It was the first of its kind pursuing only local, only seasonal, mostly organic.

Then I fell in love with an olive grove and in 2018 moved to Northern Aegean and started a teaching kitchen there, Cooks Grove.

At the end of 2023 life took me to live in Thessaloniki, Greece. For the reasons of this move you can read my post here.

Now I am a cook, food writer, olive oil producer, and do consulting for hospitality businesses.

I rather define myself as a cook, not a chef. What matters for me is not the professional act itself, but focusing on ingredients, culture, producers and bringing all those things that matter into my daily enjoyment of food. Cooking for me is about sharing. Both at the table and here with words.

My personal preferences are defined from a very early age at home and by the food women in my family cooked. There are certain dishes I would never ever attempt to change. When something is perfect why mess with it? But then as years passed on, both as a professional and a curious home cook I developed my own style. My cooking is deeply personal. Stimulated by ingredients, influenced by my travels, rooted in Istanbul, it is Şemsa’s food per se.

I will be sharing my recipes and my stories with you. The ones that are classic and/or contemporary Istanbul are grouped in Istanbul Home-Cooking. Also there are my own adventures in the home kitchen to be gathered in Food Journal, and then BREAD! section is filled with my obsessive wish to master the craft.

All I aspire to is to inspire. Come and join me here and let’s enjoy the ride together!

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