What inspired you to start your career in this field?
I entered this field out of necessity. I couldn’t return to my homeland, and I was caught between papers and worlds, without money or a sense of belonging.
Cooking with my mother became the only place where I felt anchored, close to home, close to myself. The rhythm of her hands, the scent of our food, the way she moved through the kitchen. It lifted me from a life I felt trapped in and gave me a path toward freedom.
In that small kitchen, I carved a home within a home. Through cooking, I found community, farmers, and a way to stand on solid ground. That’s where this career truly began.
What has been your proudest professional achievement so far?
My proudest achievement is creating a space that reflects my story, a modern Turkish Anatolian heritage rooted in Hawai‘i’s ‘āina. Without trends, shortcuts, or compromise. Istanbul Hawa‘‘i exists because of resilience, discipline, and a commitment to honoring our culture with clarity.
I’m proudest when guests feel warmth the moment they sit down. When a space born from struggle evolves into an art form that moves people and that is success.
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned as a woman in business?
That a woman already carries everything she needs, intuition, discipline, endurance, and the ability to create beauty out of adversity.
The lesson is that strength doesn’t need to be loud. The art of being a woman in business is knowing when to lead with precision and when to lead with grace. It’s understanding that empathy is not a weakness and that conviction doesn’t require aggression.
A woman builds differently: She builds from depth, from resilience, from a vision that holds both detail and emotion. And when she stands firmly in who she is, she becomes impossible to overlook.
What motivates you on the tough days?
I think of where I started; no papers, little support, constant uncertainty. If I survived those years, I can survive anything now.
I’m motivated by my team, by my mother, and by the responsibility to keep creating spaces where people feel cared for and connected. And often, it’s something small—saffron blooming in butter, the hum of the dining room finding its rhythm that reminds me why I chose this life.
If you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be?
Always be yourself. Never shrink because of circumstance.
Everything you are fighting through will become your strength. Keep moving; as Rumi said, the road appears as you walk.
One day, you will build a life that feels like home, even far from where you were born. You will meet extraordinary people in Hawai‘i who will become family.
You will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with farmers, chefs, and community leaders who believe in you. And you will realize you didn’t just find a place to belong, you created one.
