PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM 75 wishes) and set out to open his own restaurant. “Do I go to college and spend all that money on education only to fall back into the restaurant business?” he asked himself. “I decided to go all-in on restaurants.” In the spring of 2021, Steve and his uncle, co-owner Sean Ugur, bounced around the idea of opening a new place in Palo Alto. After the world being in isolation for so long, they figured a more communal vibe would be a welcome change for the community. “The purpose of the lounge was to create a more social gathering space,” says Steve. “People can come in and relax, enjoy good cocktails and share good food.” When entering Sekoya, you feel like you’ve been transported to the hottest new joint in New York or Los Angeles with its bold orange swivel chairs and plush velvet couches that surround large communal tables. Living up to its name’s twist on California’s towering forests, Sekoya features tree slab dining tables and plates patterned with rippling tree rings. And because this is the heart of Silicon Valley, there’s space for large parties to accommodate business teams wanting something more than on-campus cafeteria fare. “You can come into the lounge for appetizers and bubbles, come in with co-workers and do a multi-course dinner, sit at the bar for a couple of cocktails or have a casual dinner outside,” Steve welcomes. “It’s a very versatile space. We don’t {food coloring} want to be one-dimensional.” But despite the hip, contemporary vibe, Steve wants Sekoya to be a comfortable, welcoming space for everyone. “When people see a place like this, they love the design and the atmosphere, but we don’t want people to feel like we’re being pretentious,” he says. “Some restaurants make you feel like you’re being judged when you walk in. I don’t want to do that. How the guest feels is the most important thing.” Steve’s years of working in restaurants has helped him hone in on details that many other eateries miss. That includes every-
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