Rolled Kadaif and baklava from Kitchen Garden in State College on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025.
Abby Drey
adrey@centredaily.com
Officially opening for breakfast and lunch on Feb. 10 following a soft opening this week, Kitchen Garden is a celebration of Turkish and Mediterranean cuisine and hospitality.
“Turkish people are big on breakfast,” owner Fatih Erkan said. “… People who visit Turkey realize two things that are important [there]. One is breakfast, and the other is cats. … The Turkish breakfast is the most important meal.”
Erkan worked in a similar breakfast spot while living in Turkey, so the restaurant concept is nothing new for him. However, after moving to State College — citing the area’s safety and noting it as an excellent place to raise his two young children — and pursuing his graduate degree in cybersecurity at Penn State, he decided it was the perfect time and place to launch a similar endeavor off South Atherton Street.
“We believe that our community deserves a healthy option that’s, at the same time, delicious,” he said. “It’s hard to combine these two [things], but our strength is that we can combine ‘delicious’ and ‘healthy.’ We thought it was a great idea to offer our traditional breakfasts and lunch options to the State College community.”
The cafe and pastries at the newly opened Kitchen Garden in State College on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. Abby Drey adrey@centredaily.com
While diners will find plenty of familiar breakfast options on the Kitchen Garden menu, the highlight is really the classic Turkish breakfast spread, a feast of small dishes that practically cover the table. From eggs to sujuk (a spicy, traditional Turkish sausage), olives to various types of cheeses, it’s an experience that Erkan says is “not just breakfast — it’s a part of Turkish culture.”
During this week’s soft opening, Kitchen Garden has been serving coffee, pastries and desserts only, before launching the breakfast and lunch menu starting Feb. 10. Already, Erkan said, customers have found a few winning favorites, most notably the Anatolian cheese pastries, which are filled with melted cheese and have nearly sold out out on a daily basis. Another pastry Erkan recommends visitors try is börek, a traditional Turkish, flaky pastry featuring a variety of fillings, such as spinach, beef, cheese or potatoes.
Additionally, Kitchen Garden’s drink menu also offers a variety of traditional items, such as Turkish tea and ayran, a yogurt-based drink.
Chocolate chip tahini cookies, chocolate chip pistachio cookies and mini apple pies from Kitchen Garden in State College on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. Abby Drey adrey@centredaily.com
Whatever visitors order at Kitchen Garden, though, the staff places a high emphasis on crafting each dish according to its international origins, Turkish or not. If they’re making a traditionally Belgian or Italian dessert, they’re using Belgian or Italian ingredients and recipes, explained Erkan.
Beyond the food and menu, Erkan has paid just as careful attention to the restaurant’s décor.
“We spent so much time on our decorations. When [customers] enter, they’re going to feel like they’re in another world — a Mediterranean world,” he said.
The dining area at Kitchen Garden in State College on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. Abby Drey adrey@centredaily.com
In the future, Erkan hopes to expand the restaurant’s hours to include dinner service as well. He’s also reserved a portion of the 6,000-square-foot restaurant for special events and private dining.
“We’re still decorating and really want it to be one of the fanciest [private dining] rooms in all of Pennsylvania,” Erkan said. “Whenever someone is having a special event, we want to be there. We want to be their number one go-to.”
Rice pudding with pistachio from Kitchen Garden in Hills Plaza on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. Abby Drey adrey@centredaily.com
When reflecting on the past week’s soft opening and excitedly looking forward to the week ahead, Erkan summed up one thing that he wants potential diners to know: “We’re not just offering decoration and food. We’re taking our customers as guests and trying to show the best of Turkish hospitality. Whenever they come in, they’re going to feel like they’re at home.”
Kitchen Garden is located at 2137 S. Atherton St. in the Hills Plaza in State College. The restaurant is open 7 a.m.-3 p.m., with online ordering planned soon.
A portion of the pastry case at Kitchen Garden in State College on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. Abby Drey adrey@centredaily.com
Holly Riddle is a freelance food, travel and lifestyle writer. She can be reached at holly.ridd@gmail.com.
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