AYLİN ÖNEY TAN
Ayla: Masterwork of a cook
“Ayla” is a female name in Türkiye. Several decades ago, it was the name of a woman who single-headedly changed the course of tourism in Bodrum, once a sleepy fishing village on the Aegean, now the must-go destination of the high society. Ayla Emiroğlu had dark curly hair with an upright stance and piercing dark eyes. She was once nicknamed “Maça Kızı,” which is the Turkish name for Queen of Spades. hile playing cards, her fluffy hair seemed to rise like an upside-down heart, resembling the spades in her hand. A famous poet friend noticed this and dubbed her “Maça Kızı,” a name that would stick with her and also with the humble beach club she was managing at the time. She was a magnetic figure in the Bodrum scene and befriended famous artists and writers, the places she ran were always the hub of intellectuals and creative people. The beach club evolved into a little guesthouse and then with her son Sahir Erozan taking over Maçakızı became a trademark place in Bodrum, attracting celebrities and people with gusto. Erozan himself had enormous success in Washington with his legendary club/restaurant “Cities,” and that is where their life-long partnership began with Aret Sahakyan, an Istanbul Armenian, a talented cook who had experience in an Italian restaurant, but also inherited his family’s fine cooking. They were both young students when the idea of “Cities” was born. “Cities changed the whole decoration and menu every six months, each time hosting a different city, starting with Buenos Aires, and visiting outstanding cities across the globe from Bangkok to Paris, of course also visiting their home city Istanbul. The place was frequented by diplomats, journalists, politicians and intellectuals, in a way Cities became the heart of the city of Washington D.C. The cities visited were actually visited by the Erozan-Sahakyan team, gathering ideas for the next theme city. This lasted for 18 long years, visiting and working with consulting chefs, accumulating a world of culinary experience hopping around the globe.
September 29 2024
