August 27, 2025|by Erik Torkells
As I often do when interviewing someone about his or her new business, I kicked things off by asking chef-owner Efe Onoglu of the new restaurant Aegean how he came to this moment in his life.
“The whole story?” he said.
The short version is fine, I replied.
“He can’t!” chimed in Onoglu’s colleague from the back.
To be fair, Onoglu’s journey to Santa Barbara has been circuitous. He’s originally from Turkey, where he was a biomedical engineer—”that defines the food, because cooking is chemistry and physics”—before heading off to South Africa and then Europe to embark on a culinary career. Around 10 years ago, having opened two restaurants in Turkey, he came to the U.S. to work with chef Michael Mina at the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington D.C., eventually moving on to José Andrés’s organization at Zaytinya in D.C. and subsequently in Dallas. Then came Nahita in Boston, followed by Bavel in downtown L.A.
During the pandemic, a friend at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara asked him to sign on as the executive chef at its Angel Oak restaurant. After a year, he headed off on his own, first with a catering company, Aegean Neotaverna, and street-food pop-ups at Draughtsmen Aleworks and other places, and then a chef’s table experience called Sofra for around a dozen people. “You get to talk and explain the story behind each dish,” he said. “I love the community spirit.”
A year ago, he signed the lease at the former Papagallo’s space at 731 De La Guerra Plaza. Friends helped in every way—painting, IT, whatever—to put it together. “When you live overseas for a long time, having a home is a big motivator,” said Onoglu. “My food is this good because I’m cooking for these people in Santa Barbara. That makes my food get better.”
Aegean’s DIY spirit, small size, and concise menu (at least to start) reminded me of Aperitivo, but farther to the east—geographically and inspirationally. Onoglu calls his food Mediterranean, but Aegean is more apt: the ingredients and dishes evoke Greek and Turkish cuisines, both underrepresented here. “I have blood from both countries,” he said. “A friend once said that I should open a ‘flagless Aegean restaurant’—no ‘Greek,’ no ‘Turkish.’”
Voilà, Aegean. It will be open for dinner this Saturday and Sunday, and then expand to Friday through Sunday for a month or so. Once the restaurant gets its footing, Onoglu will reintroduce Sofra on Thursday nights. Even on a normal evening, community will be paramount. “My best memories are around the table, eating with my family and friends. I want people to experience that here.”
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