Déjà Vu Interviews: Selin Kiazim

Déjà Vu Interviews is a chance for us to platform those chefs, restauranteurs and general people in the world of food that we personally love and think you all will too. This week, we sat down with Selin Kiazim to talk about getting inspiration from North Cyprus, the impacts of Covid-19 on hospitality and much more.

Hey Selin! As such an accomplished chef and restauranteur, where do you continue to find food inspiration?

Everywhere really! I particularly find inspiration from travelling to different countries, eating out, cookbooks, friends and obviously my heritage including my grandmothers cooking.

Oklava is a firm favourite restaurant of many (including myself). What one thing would you recommend every first-timer to order and why?

Thank you. There are some classic dishes I would always recommend for first timers including Grilled Hellim, Chilli Roast Cauliflower, Lahmacun and Seftali kebab.

What was the inspiration behind your menu at Oklava?

My heritage. Both my parents being from North Cyprus, we used to spend long summers there eating lots of deliciousness cooked by my grandmother; she used to grow all her own produce and rear her own animals for milk and eggs too. From those memories to working with ingredients from all around the world with Peter Gordon, I have developed my own style that has a nod to my heritage and then beyond to surrounding countries in the Middle East and Mediterranean.

If I were to mention the term “comfort food”, what meal would you instantly think of and why?

There are many foods that bring me comfort but my absolute favourite would have to be a big pile of various kebabs. Those smoky grilled meats with soft bread and salad are just pure joy.

You found increased fame through BBC’s Great British Menu but apart from that show, what other culinary shows are you loving at the moment?

I love watching various cooking shows, watching these shows is a big part of what got me into cooking. My favourites are Great British Menu and Masterchef The Professionals.

Some great TV picks there. If you could sum up Turkish cuisine in one word, what would it be?

Moorish.

If you had one last day in London, where would you go for each meal?

I don’t really go out for breakfast so I would do 2 lunches. St. John and Kiln for lunch (and maybe a few bites at Sabor) and Oklava for dinner!

That sure would be one great day of eating. When you reach the end of a long shift, what is your go-to meal or dinner?

Toast with lots of butter and sprinkling of Maldon salt. Or if I was to get take-away then fried chicken wings.

Can’t argue with fried chicken. Now obviously Covid-19 has affected the entire hospitality industry immeasurably, especially with the recently announced 10pm curfew. How has the pandemic forced you to adapt?

In many many ways. We are operating to survive right now and save as many of the jobs we have managed to keep at Oklava. We operate with set menus and a whole host of restrictions from the government without enough specific sector help. We have all been left to fight it out with our landlords which is causing a lot of agony for many operators. It is heart breaking that so many places have closed and will continue to because of something completely out of our hands.

A big question here but what do you think the future of hospitality looks like?

Quite bleak to be honest.
It will take many years for it to get back to anything like what it was. The confidence in operators will be shattered, the market has changed; one of the biggest changes being that not so many people will be commuting or in offices so there’s far less demand. Eating out will be an occasion for most going forward, this will make a lot of businesses financially unviable unless landlords change tenancy agreements. Tenants cannot be expected to pay the same rent for far less demand and therefore less turnover.

Wishful thinking time. If the pandemic weren’t a thing, what’s one place in the world that you would go back to in a heartbeat and why?

Istanbul. I just love it there and the food is obviously fabulous and a great source of inspiration for me.

And finally, what’s one thing you’ve learnt about yourself as a restauranteur and chef this year?

That I need to seek out/take more opportunities away from just being a chef. It is how I have made my name, I am immensely proud of Oklava and what I have created there and the people I have taught. But, I feel a need and desire to explore other avenues in the food world and I shall start doing that as soon as possible.

Thank you once again to Selin for this chance to chat all things food. You can find Selin on Instagram as well as her brilliant restaurant, Oklava.

Find out more and book a table at Oklava through Déjà Vu now.