BY SUSAN E. CAMPBELL<\/p>\n
Alaturco Mediterranean Grill opened
\nrecently in Ballston Spa, offering traditional
\ngrilled kebabs, gyros and falafels,
\nand family favorites like baba ghanousch
\nand moussaka.<\/p>\n
Alaturco is the first venture into restaurant
\nco-ownership and management
\nfor Saba Kum. Kum said she “fell in love with” her
\njob at another local Mediterranean
\nrestaurant and after only six months determined
\nto go into business for herself.<\/p>\n
Partnering with investor Bahadir Ziya,
\nshe leased space at 2007 Doubleday Ave.
\nand did minor renovations with the help
\nof family and staff.<\/p>\n
The location was a restaurant before
\nit was vacated by Boost Mobile. Kum said
\nthe space was “in good shape. All it really
\nneeded was some paint and restroom
\nupdates,” she said.<\/p>\n
Alaturco fired up the grills and opened
\nits doors the first week of August.<\/p>\n
Chef Ralph Ziya, Bahadir’s brother, had
\nleft Florida to launch a Saratoga Springs
\neatery. Kum relocated in 2012 when her
\nhusband transferred with a company that
\nsupplies product for GlobalFoundries.
\nThe two met.<\/p>\n
The idea to go into business and hire
\nZiya developed as Kum worked with him
\nfor only a few months. She admits, “I love
\nthe food” and sharing “fresh and healthy
\ncooking” with customers.<\/p>\n
“We have a very experienced Mediterranean
\nchef,” Kum said.
\n“Thirty years experience,” said Ziya. “I
\nhave opened 17 restaurants, either as an
\nowner, partner or chef.”<\/p>\n
From Brooklyn to California to Florida
\nto New Jersey and upstate New York,
\nZiya has been specializing in his “mom’s
\nrecipes” since 1980. But at his house, his
\nmother-in-law cooks.
\n“When a chef cooks he can’t eat,” Ziya
\nsaid. “So someone has to prepare food for
\nme, and my mother-in-law is an excellent
\ncook.”<\/p>\n
Kum has Turkish parents and was
\nraised in Germany, where she was exposed
\nto the cuisine of many nations and which
\nmay have inspired the European-sounding
\nname of her restaurant.<\/p>\n
“Ballston Spa is a very nice place with
\na combination of families and working
\npeople” that she wants to appeal to, said
\nKum.<\/p>\n
Alaturco Mediterranean Grill is open
\nTuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m.
\nto 10 p.m. and offers free delivery. The
\nphone number is 490-2338.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BY SUSAN E. CAMPBELL Alaturco Mediterranean Grill opened recently in Ballston Spa, offering traditional grilled kebabs, gyros and falafels, and family favorites like baba ghanousch and moussaka. Alaturco is the first venture into restaurant co-ownership and management for Saba…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[52,98,110],"class_list":["post-15773","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-new-businesses","tag-ballston-spa","tag-new-businesses","tag-restaurants"],"yoast_head":"\r\n