First woman-run open-fire grill restaurant

EBRU ERKE

Yaren Çarpar, driven by the motto “My grandfather’s grill, my grandmother’s appetizers,” launched Dafni last week, taking full responsibility for everything from the fire and kitchen to the service. This makes it the first open-fire grill restaurant in Türkiye owned and run by a woman. The chef, originally from İskenderun, brings the culinary traditions passed down from her family to her dishes.

One moment, she’s expertly spinning kebab skewers over a fire, with smoke swirling around her. The next, she’s in the kitchen preparing appetizers, and then she’s out among the tables, engaging with guests and checking in on the vibe. In fact, she prefers to describe Dafni as “ateşbaşı,” which translates to “fireside,” emphasizing that it’s more than just your typical open-fire grill restaurant. While the physical space may have only recently opened, she’s been mentally running Dafni every morning and closing it every night for years. In fact, the last line of the article I wrote about her five years ago reads: “Yaren’s dream is to open her own open-fire grill restaurant and work by the fire. We’ll be eagerly waiting to enjoy the kebabs she cooks while sitting at the counter behind the grill.”

Let me start by giving you a brief introduction to Yaren Çarpar. Yaren’s mother was the first female bar owner in İskenderun. Running her venue as a café by day and as a bar by night, she taught Yaren the principles of business ownership and management from a young age. Yaren’s grandmother, on the other hand, taught her the importance of the family table. Every Friday, when Yaren visited her grandmother for dinner, she would prepare a spread of diverse appetizers. This was no ordinary grandmother — she roasted her own spices, shredded her own meat, and added her personal touch to the traditional appetizers of Antakya. In fact, the muhammara recipe on Yaren’s menu today, made with chickpea flour instead of breadcrumbs, is directly inspired by her grandmother’s original recipe. Yaren also learned the skill of deboning a whole chicken without shredding the meat.

At 18, Yaren moved to Istanbul and completed eight months of training at MSA. During her internship at Swissotel, she quickly realized that the hotel kitchen was overwhelmingly male-dominated, making it difficult for her to find her place. While working at the hotel’s fine dining restaurant, Gaija, she also discovered that this style of cooking wasn’t aligned with her own approach. For Yaren, food culture is about gathering around the table, sharing meals, and feeling satisfied. As she embarked on her professional journey, she chose to work at Zuma, taking advantage of the opportunity to learn about Far Eastern cuisine, since there was no opportunity for her to go abroad at that time. However, she soon realized that upward mobility was limited there, too. After two years, she left Zuma and took a position at the French restaurant Le Petit Maison. In my view, this was one of Yaren’s biggest achievements: Carefully planning her career by gaining diverse experience across different culinary traditions.

She then crossed paths with Arda Türkmen, whom she regards as a second father and credits as the first major turning point in her career. At just 21 years old, she formed her own team and took the helm of the kitchen at Arda’s Forneria in Karaköy. Soon after, they launched Mükellef Karaköy on the terrace of the same building. Picture a young woman managing two large teams at the age of 22, a challenge that significantly boosted her self-confidence. She also worked as Arda’s assistant for five years. When she expressed a desire to pursue her own path, he supported her wholeheartedly, saying, “I’m right behind you.” He remains the first person she turns to for advice.

Her journey continued with the opening of House of Ekria in Maslak, followed by the challenges of the pandemic, and then Ema, a small bakery in Nisantaşı. She also faced the devastation of the earthquake, which affected her hometown. When offered the chance to oversee both the kitchen and service at the restaurant part of Bridge in Nakkaştepe, she felt the time had come to start her own venture and launched Dafni Ateşbaşı. The name "Dafni" was inspired by “Defne,” (daphne) a symbol of great significance in the Hatay region, woven into many local legends.

Yaren has created a space with her own unique touches, where everyone can find something to suit their tastes. Instead of simply replicating traditional flavors, she adds her own creative spin. For instance, she fills thinly rolled kibbeh with spicy tandoori meat and serves it with her signature smoked yogurt. She makes open bread using Neapolitan pizza dough, topped with her favorite offal. With the same dough, she also prepares Tarsus-style Kuşgözü lahmacun, filled with minced lamb, which is a must-try — it’s definitely the best I’ve ever had. She adds roasted eggplant into atom, a type of appetizer, and creates a salty fried pastry reminiscent of her grandmother’s taş kadayıf, filled with bacon and cheese, inspired by paçanga böreği.

At the heart of Dafni is, of course, the open-fire grill. Yaren believes the tradition of sitting around an open flame has been lost to newer generations, so she ensures the flavors on her grill remain authentic. Drawing inspiration from the robatas at Zuma, where she once worked, she has designed small skewers for grilling. These include liver, küşleme, yağlı kara, and meatballs on skewers. Her aim is for diners to savor these flavors bit by bit, encouraging them to order a variety of dishes and enjoy a leisurely meal together. I admire Yaren for everything she has achieved at just 32 years old. Beyond her passion for food and the appreciation of her craft, she is one of the hardest-working chefs I’ve ever encountered. She has a long journey ahead, and we’ll be cheering her on every step of the way.

  A culinary collaboration between two female chefs at Roka

Roka, one of the most important representatives of contemporary Japanese cuisine, continues to welcome prominent Turkish chefs into its kitchen. After Chef Suna Hakyemez’s first collaboration with Maksut Aşkar, the partnership now extends to İnanç Çelengil. For 17 years, İnanç Çelengil has built a loyal following among food enthusiasts through her catering services and Aman da Bravo, earning recognition for her creative takes on Turkish flavors and her unique use of seasonal ingredients.

At Roka Istanbul, Chefs Suna and İnanç will join forces to showcase the distinct techniques of their respective cuisines, along with the stories behind their dishes, in two special dinners. The menu will feature dishes that highlight the ingredients and culinary methods of both cultures, such as bonito sashimi with truffle yuzu sauce; tuna nigiri with nikiri sauce and "bottarga"; grilled yedikule lettuce with yuzu sesame sauce and panko; beef marrow teriyaki and crispy "kokoreç"; and pumpkin sundae, tahini mochi ice cream and chocolate lotus.

Suna Hakyemez, the chef of Roka Istanbul, expresses that this collaboration offers a unique opportunity to merge the distinctive flavors of two cultures and regions. She notes, “Hosting Chef İnanç Çelengil in the Roka kitchen was a valuable experience, allowing us to create new flavors by combining her expertise with Roka’s own.” Reflecting on the partnership, İnanç Çelengil adds, “The diversity of Japanese cuisine, along with the discipline in the Roka kitchen and the meticulous care given to each ingredient, was truly inspiring. In this menu, where we combine the boldness of Japanese sauces and ingredients with the simplicity of Turkish cuisine, I believe we’ve created something truly special with Suna. We worked in great harmony, and that synergy is reflected in the menu.” This special menu, crafted by Suna Hakyemez and İnanç Çelengil, will be available at Roka Istanbul on Nov. 19-20.