Selin Kiazim
Born
Southgate, London
EducationWestminster Kingsway College
Culinary career
Cooking styleTurkish-Cypriot fusion cuisine
Current restaurant(s)
    • Oklava
Previous restaurant(s)
    • Kopapa
Television show(s)

Selin Kiazim is a British chef of Turkish Cypriot heritage who owns and runs the restaurant Oklava in London. In 2017, she was one of the winners of the BBC Two television series Great British Menu.

Career

Selin Kiazim was brought up in Southgate, London, by her Turkish Cypriot immigrant parents. As a child, she would make frequent trips to Northern Cyprus to visit her grandparents, but did not wish to pursue a career in cooking.[1] Kiazim initially wanted to pursue a career as an architect, but changed her mind after the completion of a foundation course in art and design.[2] Instead, she trained in catering at Westminster Kingsway College where she earned her Professional Chef's Diploma in 2008.[3]

She began working with chef Peter Gordon after she won the 2007 UK-NZ Culinary Challenge.[2] He initially employed her at his Marylebone-based restaurant The Providores and Tapa Room in 2007,[2] before she became head chef at his Kopapa restaurant.[2]

After running a series of pop-up restaurants and residencies, which received highly positive reviews from food critics such as Giles Coren,[1] Kiazim opened her own restaurant, Oklava, in October 2015, located in the Moorgate area of London.[2] The restaurant serves Turkish-Cypriot cuisine, with fusion elements and features a completely Turkish wine list.[3]

In 2017, she competed in the BBC Two television series Great British Menu to create a dish to celebrate 140 years of The Championships, Wimbledon. After beating two other chefs in the qualifying round, she competed in the final. However, in the initial round, her dessert scored the lowest mark, resulting in her making an entirely new dish for the final round.[4] Kiazim made it to the last two chefs for the main course,[5] but was not selected, however, her dessert course was chosen in the final as a banquet dish.[citation needed] She released her first cook book that year, entitled Oklava: Recipes from a Turkish-Cypriot Kitchen.[6] The Council of Turkish Cypriot Associations in Britain named her the Best Champion of Turkish Cypriot Culture 2017 (female).[7]

References

  1. ^ a b Olbrich, Suze (26 August 2016). "This London Chef Is Taking Turkish Food Beyond the Kebab Shop". Munchies. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e Stewart, Victoria (11 September 2015). "Oklava London: Selin Kiazim on Turkish Cypriot food and her new restaurant". Evening Standard. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
  3. ^ a b Norum, Ben (18 November 2015). "Selin Kiazim launches Turkish-Cypriot restaurant Oklava in Shoreditch". Evening Standard. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
  4. ^ "Selin Kiazim through to Great British Menu banquet". The Caterer. 30 June 2017. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
  5. ^ "WKC alumnus, Selin Kiazim narrowly misses out on winning BBC's Great British Menu main final". Westminster Kingsway College. 14 July 2017. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
  6. ^ "Octopus heads East". The Bookseller. 21 October 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
  7. ^ "Touker Suleyman, Selin Kiazim and Kem Cetinay among the winners at Turkish Cypriot 2017 awards gala". CTCA. 4 October 2017. Archived from the original on 19 April 2019. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
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