Selin Kiazim
{{short description|British chef of Turkish Cypriot heritage}}
{{Infobox chef
| name = Selin Kiazim
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| birth_place = Southgate, London
| education = Westminster Kingsway College
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| style = Turkish-Cypriot fusion cuisine
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| restaurants = {{plainlist|
- Oklava
}}
| prevrests = {{plainlist|
- Kopapa
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| television = {{plainlist|
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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.{{cite web|last1=Olbrich|first1=Suze|title=This London Chef Is Taking Turkish Food Beyond the Kebab Shop|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/this-london-chef-is-taking-turkish-food-beyond-the-kebab-shop/|publisher=Munchies|access-date=5 November 2017|date=26 August 2016}} 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. Instead, she trained in catering at Westminster Kingsway College where she earned her Professional Chef's Diploma in 2008.{{cite news|last1=Norum|first1=Ben|title=Selin Kiazim launches Turkish-Cypriot restaurant Oklava in Shoreditch|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/goingout/restaurants/selin-kiazim-launches-turkishcypriot-restaurant-oklava-in-shoreditch-a3117301.html|accessdate=5 November 2017|work=Evening Standard|date=18 November 2015}}
She began working with chef Peter Gordon after she won the 2007 UK-NZ Culinary Challenge. He initially employed her at his Marylebone-based restaurant The Providores and Tapa Room in 2007, before she became head chef at his Kopapa restaurant.{{cite news|last1=Stewart|first1=Victoria|title=Oklava London: Selin Kiazim on Turkish Cypriot food and her new restaurant|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/goingout/restaurants/oklava-london-selin-kiazim-on-turkish-cypriot-food-and-her-new-restaurant-a2945221.html|accessdate=5 November 2017|work=Evening Standard|date=11 September 2015}}
After running a series of pop-up restaurants and residencies, which received highly positive reviews from food critics such as Giles Coren, Kiazim opened her own restaurant, Oklava, in October 2015, located in the Moorgate area of London. The restaurant serves Turkish-Cypriot cuisine, with fusion elements and features a completely Turkish wine list.
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.{{cite news|title=Selin Kiazim through to Great British Menu banquet|url=https://www.thecaterer.com/articles/506092/selin-kiazim-through-to-great-british-menu-banquet|accessdate=5 November 2017|work=The Caterer|date=30 June 2017}} Kiazim made it to the last two chefs for the main course,{{cite web|title=WKC alumnus, Selin Kiazim narrowly misses out on winning BBC's Great British Menu main final|url=http://www.westking.ac.uk/news/wkc-alumnus-selin-kiazim-narrowly-misses-winning-bbcs-great-british-menu-main-final/|publisher=Westminster Kingsway College|accessdate=5 November 2017|date=14 July 2017|archive-date=7 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107114606/https://www.westking.ac.uk/news/wkc-alumnus-selin-kiazim-narrowly-misses-winning-bbcs-great-british-menu-main-final/|url-status=dead}} but was not selected, however, her dessert course was chosen in the final as a banquet dish.{{citation needed|date=January 2020}} She released her first cook book that year, entitled Oklava: Recipes from a Turkish-Cypriot Kitchen.{{cite news|title=Octopus heads East|url=https://www.thebookseller.com/news/octopus-heads-east-416681|accessdate=5 November 2017|work=The Bookseller|date=21 October 2016}} The Council of Turkish Cypriot Associations in Britain named her the Best Champion of Turkish Cypriot Culture 2017 (female).{{cite web|title=Touker Suleyman, Selin Kiazim and Kem Cetinay among the winners at Turkish Cypriot 2017 awards gala|url=http://ctcauk.com/general-news/touker-suleyman-selin-kiazim-and-kem-cetinay-among-the-winners-at-turkish-cypriot-2017-awards-gala/|publisher=CTCA|accessdate=5 November 2017|date=4 October 2017|archive-date=19 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190419220908/http://ctcauk.com/general-news/touker-suleyman-selin-kiazim-and-kem-cetinay-among-the-winners-at-turkish-cypriot-2017-awards-gala/|url-status=dead}}
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
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Category:People from Southgate, London
Category:British people of Turkish Cypriot descent
Category:British cookbook writers