68 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM {food coloring} Launched in June of 2023, Elif and co-owner Aziz Aslan had their fair share of issues before even opening their doors. The cafe’s narrow space and long walls proved to be a challenge to decorate. And heavy rains in early 2023 during the eatery’s construction wreaked havoc. “Water was pouring from the ceiling. Everything was ruined two weeks before we were to open,” she recalls. “But I envisioned myself here. I couldn’t give up and pick another space. I saw the pictures on the walls before I even hung them up. It was so personal for me.” Originally from the Turkish capital of Ankara, Elif studied engineering and worked in Elif Uzun’s definition of a perfect cafe isn’t the ubiquitous big chain coffee shop. “My father was a literature teacher, so I read a lot of poems and writings by Turkish writers,” she recalls. “They were always coming together in coffeehouses to have intellectual conversations or write their next poems. People come together in cafes in Turkey— lovers, writers, families. I wanted that vibe to be accessible here.” Those memories served as the inspiration for Oklava Cafe on University Avenue in Palo Alto. CAFE turkish delights words by ELAINE WU • photography by PAULETTE PHLIPOT
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