Hello! I'm Gonca
Welcome to my kitchen!
My name is Gonca. I’m a home cook, teacher, dreamer, and mother. I live in Istanbul with my little family of three and our cat, Crepe.
I started a blog in 2021 as a space to share recipes that were passed down to me or those that I developed over the years. As a self-taught cook myself, I’m fiercely dedicated to providing well-tested recipes and sharing everything I’ve learned along the way. Before I post a new recipe, you can feel confident that I have already tested it dozens of times in my own kitchen. This is why you can feel safe in knowing that I am a trusted resource for anyone who wants to learn or gain inspiration for their cooking and baking. In addition to the recipes on the site, you’ll also find helpful kitchen tips and cooking advice on the basics of food preparation and combination to help you acquire confidence and expertise in the kitchen.
A few words on my approach to cooking and nutrition. I was mesmerized by recipes passed down by generations of family as well as in my broader cultural arena, but also interested in how to work with known recipes and creatively adapt them to transform them to something new, with particular attention to health and wellness. Offsetting some the less healthful trends in traditional Turkish cuisine. I am also passionate about off the beaten path methods of exploring and experimenting with the adaptive uses of spice.
I am not a vegan or vegetarian; however my cooking preference can most closely be described as pescatarian.
Another innovative element of my approach is that I consider the environment in all aspects of food preparation and waste disposal. I focus on using innovative, eco-friendly substitutes and methods wherever possible.
My Story
As a child, I would spend hours watching my mother work her magic in the kitchen, especially creating her style of traditional Anatolian and Ottoman cuisine. Is there anything better than the smell of fresh homemade stew in the house? By the time I was old enough to help my mom in the kitchen, I was hooked.
Nowadays, as the mother of two gorgeous kids and an educator of advanced high school students in an international baccalaureate program, in our hectic daily schedule dinnertime is the only time we gather at a table as a family. So I attach great importance to this union every evening and consider it a crucial opportunity for bonding.
Food is a center point of life and family in our culture. But with all of the responsibilities of our busy lives, we find less time to spend cooking. As an educator, I am heart-broken to now see diseases related to weight gain and obesity affect even our young students. I started to share photo-stories of my meal creations on social media, to reach diverse audiences as well as my own students to demonstrate that even as an International Education program leader, at a private school, it is not impossible to cook scrumptious, healthy food, even daily. With some additional tips and tricks in mind and some additional inspiration that I hope to provide to whomever I can.
My Food Site
You may enjoy discovering some unique cooking innovations and food and spice combinations that may have passed you by? Adding a little bit of Mediterranean and Ottoman flavor to your home cooking. I am happy too share my experience and knowledge here on this platform.
Contact me
I look forward to becoming your trusted food muse! Let's cook together!