Turkish delight comes to town

Caf Turkey restaurant manager Adnan Malik says he and the rest of his team are enjoying bringing their flavours and food to Stratford each week.

The Caf Turkey kebab caravan comes to Stratford every Friday and Saturday, "and some Sundays when the demand is there", with Adnan pleased with the enthusiastic welcome his team has had from people in Stratford.

He says the caravan was the brain child of his Turkish family and has been a great way to bring Turkish and Mediterranean food to a wider audience.

As well as visiting Stratford, the caravan is parked in Waitara on Wednesdays and Thursdays, with Adnan saying they are considering more locations, as well including Inglewood soon.

"We had such an unbelievable response when we first posted our plans on our Facebook page. Really the motivation came from the people who would come to the restaurant in New Plymouth and tell us they had come from Stratford or Waitara because they wanted the food we serve."

The Caf Turkey restaurant in New Plymouth, along with the caravan, is owned by the Can family with one brother also owning Yildiz Cafe in Hawera and Sumela Kebab in Motorua.

Adnan, who is originally from Dubai, says he loves working for the Can family. "Not only is the food great, but for me it was also important that I could easily work with food that was halal, I am not handling food that I would not eat myself."

Halal food, says Adnan, is healthy and means it adheres to the doctrines of Islam.

"It just means it is prepared in a certain way, and we also don't serve pork and alcohol which are prohibited in Islam."

Adnan has "learned heaps" about Turkey since working here and picked up some of the Turkish language as well, something he says is important as he completes his degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management.

" I love to travel and to learn about different cultures, be it New Zealand or Turkey, no wonder my boss says I am an international man," he laughs.

The caravan in Stratford is normally staffed by Fahrettin and Muhammet Can, who welcome people asking them about their culture. "We love to talk to the people we meet and everyone is so friendly here," says Muhammet, who is a student at Spotswood College.

The caravan is here to stay in Stratford, says Adnan, who adds that with Can family now having introduced a home delivery service in New Plymouth, "watch this space, we are always looking for more ways to grow the business and bring our food to even more people".

The Caf Turkey caravan is in the car park next door to Cottage Lane, Stratford, on Friday and Saturdays from 5pm to 9.30pm. Find them on Facebook at Cafe Turkey New Plymouth or phone 020 400 83631.