It’s Mediterranean … ish.
Having cooked his way across continents, Yavuz knows better than to box a cuisine into one neat label. “People say ‘Mediterranean,’ but what does that even mean? The Mediterranean is huge—50 cultures, 50 very different cuisines. Even in Turkey, if you change cities, the food changes completely. So just calling it ‘Mediterranean’ doesn’t really cut it,” he says.
Especially not when his inspirations go far beyond the region. In Miami, Yavuz applied to be both a dishwasher and a line cook at a Japanese restaurant—just to get close to the sushi counter. “I was very jealous of that kind of cooking,” he says. “So I wanted to learn by being up close. When I take what I learn into my own kitchen, it has to be my style.” Japanese techniques surface as subtle nods, not imitation. “There are already so many great Japanese chefs,” Yavuz says. “This is just my interpretation.” In one special, you might find a roll wrapped in grape leaves instead of nori, glazed with pomegranate molasses in place of teriyaki sauce, and topped with a pop of caviar. “You can’t find something like this in Turkey,” Yavuz says with a grin.
He also draws from his time in Naples, layering black truffle into Urfa-style pide and topping it with melty Graviera cheese. The dough? Another souvenir from Naples. For his twist on the Greek classic saganaki, he adds a jolt of dried habanero heat, tempered by truffle honey and lemon.
Dining and Cooking