70 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM management for Turkish Airlines before moving to Palo Alto eight years ago with her husband to start a mobile gaming company, where she is now the art director. “We like the energy in Palo Alto. It’s similar to Turkey,” she says. “It’s also a walking city. I like be- {food coloring} ing active and the lifestyle here matches mine.” So it was natural for Elif to want to bring the culture of her homeland to her adopted hometown. “There are not a lot of cozy cafes with an attention to detail and a European feel around here,” she shares. “That’s the kind of place I was craving. It was our motivation for opening this place.” Elif may be a first-time restaurant owner, but her goals for the cafe were clear: stay authentic to the food and culture of Turkey, create a cozy vibe and make sure it was all artfully done. “I love art, design and making things beautiful,” she says happily. “Aziz handles the day-to-day operations, but I had to sit down and decide what to serve on the menu, how to serve it, the design of everything, like the boxes and
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