Category: People

Features
Levent Büyükuğur on Frescobaldi and his never-ending Italian love affair

Since forming Istanbul Doors in 1993, Levent Büyükuğur has quietly revolutionised Istanbul’s nightlife and restaurant scene. His diners and clubs, Changa, Lucca, Kitchenette and Angelique among them, are bywords for sophisticated quality, while his compatriots have also been treated to new culinary delights through his introduction of international chains such as Zuma to Turkey. In […]

My World
My World: Canan Sağar

Her debut release ‘13’ is an assured, yet intense album, dealing with assorted issues, from child abuse to loneliness. Tight Turkish Folk-Rock arrangements tread familiar ground. What carries the album are Canan’s poignant, self-penned lyrics and powerful vocals, moving effortlessly from tender ballads to fiery missives, making each of her 13 tracks compelling listening.  Where […]

Entrepreneurs
Turkish brands meet UK counterparts at ‘quality in business’ conference in London

Owners of small and medium-sized businesses from diverse industry sectors in Turkey were in the capital on Thursday to explore business opportunities as part of a unique networking event organised by Leaders of Branding Intelligence (LOB’IN) and the European Turkish Association (ETA). Titled 8thInternational European Quality Conference, the business summit took place at the London South Bank University […]

Entrepreneurs
How Ted & Mus conquered Turkish barbering
 

We may be living through the austerity years, but one sector that is booming is men’s grooming. Men’s desire to splash the cash to look good has propelled the sector to be worth some £1 bn. It’s not just about buying moisturiser and bronzers. Guys are also bypassing the cheap and cheerful barbers’ shop where […]

Columnists
Marching against racism

A bitterly cold March day. Only yesterday [Friday 20th], on a warm, sunny day I sat on a park bench at Ally Pally and watched little children feed the ducks. This is England. It is possible to witness a few seasons in a few day. I leave home, my wife’s warnings to be careful ringing […]

Entrepreneurs
Turkish Cypriot entrepreneur Touker Suleyman joins BBC TV show Dragons’ Den

A successful Turkish Cypriot businessman is among three new Dragons entering the Den for series 13, the BBC announced on Tuesday. Retail king Touker Suleyman, whose business portfolio includes fashion brands Hawes & Curtis and Ghost, joins Moonpig.com founder Nick Jenkins and Sarah Willingham, creator of restaurant chain The Bombay Bicycle Club and existing Dragons […]

Columnists
FOCUS: Remembering Osman Türkay on his 88th birth anniversary

Former Culture Minister of Turkey, a cultural historian, poet and translator Prof. Dr. Talat Halman once observed that Osman Türkay’s (16 February 1927 – 24 January 2001) work combined Blake’s apocalyptic vision which Eliot’s gloomy depictions of modern civilisations. Not only does Dr. Halman make this comparison, but he goes further to say that the […]

Columnists
Positive action vs positive discrimination

One of the local Turkish language papers posed an important question for the Turkish speaking communities in Britain. “Are we actually united?” The paper, Londra Gazete/London Turkish Gazette is printed bilingually. In the main Turkish pages the question takes the form of “Are we really one?”Freudian slip, or lost in translation? Being “one” and being […]

My World
My World: Ali ‘Babutsa’ Sönmez

A legend of the Turkish wedding circuit, he hit the big time with his group Babutsa. These days, he runs a café in Beckenham and performs weekly at a top London Turkish nightspot, while guiding the career of his singer daughter.  Tell us about your family life My parents are from Cyprus (İskele and Karpaz) […]