LOCAL: "I hear that my friends call me Sanki Ceyda if they're talking about me when I'm not around." If Ceyda did not make the food herself, where does she eat? Whose table makes her feel at home the most?NEIGHBORHOOD BY NEIGHBORHOOD: “Contrary to what it seems, it is not a campus of plazas; it is an old-style neighborhood between workplaces. It is a safe place with large apartments with balconies and people who have lived in these buildings for generations.” says Ceyda (Artun), who chose to live in Gayrettepe when she decided to move to Istanbul years later.A POCKET GUIDE: Neighborhood greengrocer: İpek Hanım'ın Çiftliği sells vegetables, fruits and herbs grown with good and organic farming practices. Neighborhood spicer: There are those who make their way to Gayrettepe for Yıldız Kuruyemiş and pumpkin seeds. But who is the neighborhood’s pasta maker? Should we prefer pomodoro or pesto?&nbsp;HAUNT: We came to Petra on the streets of Gayrettepe to listen to the neighborhood of the shopkeepers. We chatted with the founder Kaan (Bergsen) over batch brew coffee at our round table overlooking the neighborhood. STOP BY: The plant-based cuisine of Vişnezade is completely free of animal products: Sanki Atölye.

Soli

Where is it? Beşiktaş, Vişnezade, Aktarlar Street No: 6Why here? One of the residents of the neighborhood where you can attend workshops while eating vegan toast. Plant-based cheese, gluten-free and fermentation workshops are just a few of them.&nbsp;From Gayrettepe we head towards Vişnezade. We are not in a hurry, so we follow Maçka Park, not Ihlamur Pavilion, and arrive at Sanki Atölye. Now Ceyda is talking from behind the counter.In my opinion, Istanbul is the first place for the application of trends, and plating methods emerging in the world cuisine, in Turkey. This is exactly the reason why I chose Istanbul as the location of the workshop, it is open to experience, and it carries that which is developing in Europe to the local.I've seen veganism fanaticized over time along strict lines, like supporting a team. While this was happening, I realized that sustainability was being overlooked, and the harms of packaged foods were being ignored.&nbsp;Sanki Atölye actually emerged from my personal need. When I found out I was allergic to milk and dairy products, the first thing I didn't want to let go of was toast with tomatoes and cheese. Sanki Atölye is a plant-based, completely animal-free kitchen.&nbsp;<img src="https://images.aposto.com/2023/0/5/1674221867297.jpeg" style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px; border-style: none; position: relative; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box;" ratio="0.67" width="550" fr-original-style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable"><h4 fr-original-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center; margin: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-weight: 500; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">Ceyda preparing plant-based sushi</h4><hr fr-original-style="" style="height: 0px; overflow: visible; border-bottom: none; clear: both; user-select: none; break-after: page; box-sizing: border-box;">The Vişnezade neighborhood is a very traditional, quiet neighborhood, inhabited by families. It's like the Workshop; In a detached 2-storey, tiny building. The building was actually the old coffeehouse of the neighborhood. It was a structure that the public complained about. It was an area where there was constant gambling and it was frequently raided by the police. Thanks to the workshop, it is now a more sterile and quiet dwelling that closes its door at night. There is no menu, something that indicates it is a restaurant or a very noticeable sign on our door. The reason is that it may be disappointing if a passerby sees toast on the menu and ends up with vegan toast. In a sense, this approach has unfortunately prevented the people of the neighborhood from understanding exactly what Sanki is. But those who are curious began to ask for soup in the winter months, although it was not on the menu. I guess that was the neighborhood's way of saying, "We want to support you, but we don't understand the food you make." We heard about this and added daily soups to the menu.I think we are one of those who have changed vegan nutrition and culture in Istanbul in recent years. It is now possible to find 1-2 vegan options on each menu. I am also excitedly waiting to see how Turkish cuisine, where animal products are abundant, will evolve into plant-based cuisine.&nbsp;

We tag along with Ceyda, to eat tomato toast without the cheeses we know and to chat. Shall we also attend the fermentation workshop before going back home? 

Sanki Atölye

<img src="https://images.aposto.com/2023/0/5/1674216397073.jpeg" style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px; border-style: none; position: relative; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box;" ratio="0.67" width="550" fr-original-style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable"><h4 fr-original-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center; margin: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-weight: 500; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">A regular day in the neighbourhood</h4><hr fr-original-style="" style="height: 0px; overflow: visible; border-bottom: none; clear: both; user-select: none; break-after: page; box-sizing: border-box;">We followed Ceyda up and down Gayrettepe. She told us how she came to Istanbul and why she felt like she belonged in Gayrettepe. We met Kaan at Petra, we started at the café and ended at the orange tree in the neighborhood. Sanki Atölye came up, and then we took a short tour of Vişnezade, following our stomachs.&nbsp;With the question&nbsp;"With whom does the neighborhood become a habitat that you don't want to leave its borders?" in mind, we set out to discover new places. In the coming weeks, you can see us in Tarlabaşı market, Cankurtaran or London. Until then, keep sharing the neighborhood and friends at <a fr-original-style="" href="https://www.instagram.com/soli.community/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); text-decoration: none; background-color: transparent; outline: none; cursor: pointer; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: auto; box-sizing: border-box;" target="_blank">@soli.community</a>.

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