Meet Önder

Önder Tulunay knows what he's talking about when he says he knows his Turkish food. And not just because he was brought up on his mother's delicious Turkish food. Together with his five friends he has been supplying Turkish specialities to Sweden's fast-food stalls and restaurants for over 15 years. If you have ever eaten a kebab in a grill kiosk, Önder was in all likelihood involved.


QUALITY IS THE SECRET
Önder knows his kebabs. And the most important thing about a really good kebab is good quality.
"We invest in quality – in everything from the raw materials to handling, hygiene, the environment and the related service," says Önder Tulunay, CEO and founder.
Thus À la Bazaar only uses meat from young animals, and preferably brisket.
The meat is minced in the factory, to give you control of the entire chain, as Önder says, but aren't there more secrets to your products than their excellent flavour and high quality?
"Yes, the spicing. The recipe is as secret as that of Coca-Cola," says Önder, laughing.

About Önder
Önder has a motley career behind him. As his father was a diplomat he has lived in many places worldwide, and that was also why the Tulunay family first came to Sweden. Önder, who was a bank clerk in Turkey, has always been interested in computers, mechanics and technology – and cars. So in Sweden he retrained as a car mechanic, and latterly also as a car sprayer – a career path that proved to be fateful.
  "I wasn't happy, so I handed in my notice. Together with some friends I leased a pizzeria in Rinkeby. You could say that my career in the food industry started there," says Önder with a laugh.

But perhaps it really began far earlier: in the 60s, when Önder used to run to the baker to get his favourite dish baked.
"We didn't have an oven at home, and when my mother had prepared my favourite dish – a filo-pastry pie filled with minced meat and spinach or ewe's cheese – I had to run to the baker's with it," Önder explains.
An hour later it was time to go and collect the delicious-smelling pie.
Failed car-spraying and the lack of an oven led to a successful investment in kebabs and machines.

MANY TONNES LATER
15 years and many tonnes of minced meat later, the success of Turkish fast food is a fact. Genuine Turkish flavours, prepared in accordance with Swedish quality requirements and made of 100% beef. Could things be any better? Not if you ask Önder and his friends at À la Bazaar.