Something worthwhile to share; a good news story from the Turkish press – Prof
Saturday, January 19, 2008
THANASIS MANIS – İZMİR – Turkish Daily News
In one of the first investments of its kind in İzmir, an entrepreneur and his partners from the Greek island of Chios have opened a cafe that gives locals the chance to sample Chios products rich in flavor and tradition. They also play a part in proving that Turkish-Greek relations have improved considerably.
At the Sakız Adası (Chios island in Turkish) cafe in İzmir, only a few steps from the port of Alsancak, customers are treated to a unique specialty before they even order it.
It is called Vanilia and it is a famous Greek sweet made from Chios mastic. It is served in a glass of chilled water and fills your mouth with a distinctive sweet flavor. Interestingly, the mastic trees in Chios are the only trees in the world that produce the aromatic resin which is the base for a series of Chios products including gums, liquors, mastic powders, soap and toothpaste.
The cafe also offers 17 different kinds of Chios desserts such as Pistachio jam, walnut jam and even eggplant jam. But besides sampling these wonderful flavors, customers can also pass their time drinking coffee in a place reminiscent of the island.
Photos from many different parts of Chios as well as photos of orange and mastic trees and tools used for the collection of the aromatic resin decorate the walls. If you do not have enough time to visit Chios Island, that is right across from Cesme, Sakız Adası is the best alternative as it leaves customers with a good impression of the sights and tastes from the island.
“Turks have embraced the cafeteria,” said entrepreneur Nikos Tsihlas referring to his personal experience of investing in İzmir.
“70 percent of our clients are Turks, and we are very pleased one year after the cafeteria’s opening,” he said.
He added: “Once, me and one of my partners were looking to find good frappe [a cold coffee drink] in İzmir and we couldn’t. So we thought it would be a good idea to open a cafeteria that serves frappe,” he said, adding that they encountered no problems when they tried to launch their project.
“It was very easy to open a cafeteria here,” Tsihlas said, adding, “there is no comparison to Greece. In a day and a half we created a company and then we started to operate. The authorities are very friendly.”
Address: Atatürk Cad. No 332/A Kordon-Alsancak / İzmir
Tel: 0232 465 1707 www.sakizadasi.com.tr
Filed under: Greek Culture, Greek News | Tagged: Chios, Greek Culture, Izmir
