MEET THE EXPATS - JIO & REBECCA : A Taste of Turkey in Mauritius

Last week, we had the absolute pleasure of meeting Turkish born Jio and his wife, Mauritian born Rebecca, at their newly opened Turkish restaurant in Mont Choisy Shopping Mall. The two are perfectly suited to one another; both friendly, bright and bubbly with a fantastic, heart-warming sense of humour. We chatted and laughed away over Turkish coffee, getting to know the two of them more and delving deeper into Jio’s Turkish background and his new life here in Mauritius. Here’s what happened…

Thank you both for inviting us to your restaurant today! Firstly, can we ask how the two of you met and how you decided to make the move to Mauritius?
Rebecca: We were both working for Emirates at the International Airport in Dubai. That’s where we met. Life was starting to become quite expensive and we both wanted to leave and start something different, so we started planning and seeing what could be done.

Jio: After coming here for a holiday and seeing the people, I didn’t see many Turkish attractions or culture here. So, I thought I might be the one to come and do something. We got married in 2015 in Mauritius and opening a small cafe was a dream for me. So we found a small place in Highlands that we converted into a small cafe and restaurant called Jio’s. We started off with quite a small place, but after we saw people’s reactions, we decided to expand. So we rented the house next to ours and did some renovations and converted it into a restaurant.

It was a good experience - but all the responsibilities were on us. It took up all of our time and we didn’t have any free time. That’s why we decided to close down and start Sultan’s (the new restaurant) in partnership with our business partners. In addition, the old location was in the centre of the island and we couldn’t reach this part of the island, so now we have more visibility. We’re really excited about sharing Turkish cuisine and culture here in Mauritius.

Despite the climate, the people and the culture was probably the most challenging. Life can be very slow paced here; when getting something official done at government offices, it can take ages. It took eight months for me to get my residency!”

Have you always been interested in food and cooking?
Jio: In our household, my mother and aunt were great cooks and my mother always pushed me to be in the kitchen so that if I ended up abroad, I’d be able to cook and survive. That’s how the love started.

Rebecca: like eating! He cooks and I taste! *laughs* Whilst working  in Dubai, I had the opportunity of tasting many different cuisines and I can honestly tell you that Turkish cuisine is the best. From the entrées to the desserts, it’s all so good. You eat with the eyes first, and then you taste it and it’s like heaven.

Jio: We both went to visit Turkey and we were in Ankara and we went to eat and have some Lahmajoun, which is like a thin and crispy Turkish pizza. You actually don’t eat it like a pizza; instead you put salad, parsley and lemon juice and fold it and eat it like a wrap. So Rebecca didn’t really feel like eating anything, but then she tasted my Lahmajoun and ended up loving it - and I had to order some more for me!

So tell us, what is life like back in Ankara?
Jio: Well, I’ve been out of my country for about eight or nine years now and I haven’t been back to visit for the last three years. But I can say Ankara is a city that you wouldn’t love if you weren’t born and raised there. It’s right in the middle of the country and in the summer, it can get really hot and dry like 45-47 degrees and in the winter it can reach as low as -20 degrees. So it’s not a place where people can adapt easily. But I’m from there and I love it. There isn’t much to do in terms of tourism, but it’s a great city; there are lots of government buildings and lots of businesses. It’s also a very busy city where everyone walks very quickly and everyone is in a rush. Istanbul is different where it’s very colourful and there are quite a lot of ancient buildings

Rebecca: Ankara is actually very posh.

How did you find adapting to life in Mauritius?
Jio: It was quite a culture shock.

Rebecca: We arrived here in December and he got sick because of the humidity.

Jio: Even though I lived in Dubai, in summer you’re mostly indoors and everywhere is air-conditioned. But here the humidity got to me, and I got sick.

Despite the climate, the people and the culture was probably the most challenging. Life can be very slow paced here; when getting something official done at government offices, it can take ages. It took eight months for me to get my residency!

Rebecca: I’m Mauritian myself and I’m ashamed at the way things are. In terms of getting official things done, I wouldn’t wish it upon my worst enemy.

Jio:There’s an expat website and I was looking on the forums, and it was from five or six years ago, and someone was explaining the same thing that happened to them. The situation hasn’t improved in that time. There are some expats who write and ask how do I do this or do that, and I try and reply and help them as much as possible.

I also find traffic challenging here. The roads are quite narrow, and I experience people stopping and parking wherever they want.

There are these sides to Mauritius. I’m not going to sit with you and tell you I’m having a paradise life, no. There are of course many good things - you want to have a nice relaxed life? It’s great. We’re just in the process of moving to Pereybere and it’s really good and it’s really beautiful. If you can adapt, life is great in Mauritius. In terms of the issues affecting the rest of the world, like refugee problems and war, you are completely far away from these things.

As long as you have a business or some sort of income, and you’ve got your apartment and your car, you can have a really good life. I’m enjoying it here.

What about the business? When setting up Jio’s, what was that process like for you?
Jio: It was not easy. Getting permits was not easy. I had an experience with someone who said they could do the paper work on my behalf. He took the money and didn’t do anything. But anyway, you’re learning and it’s an experience, you know? I think of it like taking a private lesson, and I learnt.

We chose a location that we wanted to be quite isolated, as we didn’t want anyone to be in a rush for anything, in terms of eating - and you wouldn’t have any issues with parking or traffic. We had many families coming with kids, as we had animals in the garden. It was like a mini Casela*laughs*

As it was quite isolated, we had to rely on advertising quite a lot. We would have a day where we wouldn’t have any customers but after five months, the word got around and it became quite busy. What’s interesting is that Mauritians are willing to travel when it comes to food.

What did you offer that was different?
Rebecca: We were giving a different approach to customers as we would sit with our guests and explain the culture to them. We also tried to change the culture of things closing early here in Mauritius. On weekdays we would close at 11pm and weekends, 12am. Somedays we were remaining open until 3am even. So we wanted to be open to give people a place to go to even if it was late.

As long as you have a business or some sort of income, and you’ve got your apartment and your car, you can have a really good life. I’m enjoying it here.”

How have Mauritian people taken to Turkish cuisine?
Rebecca: In Mauritius the main cuisine is Chinese or Indian, so the Turkish food was received well as it was different. People here like spicy food so they would always ask if the food is spicy and they would always want their green chilli paste! So we try to keep it authentic and offer Turkish chillies instead.

Jio: The first impression when people finished their meals was that they were really full. Our portions are quite big. People loved the taste; the marination of the meat and rice. In Turkey, people don’t really eat basmati rice - we have our own type of rice that looks a little bit like couscous. Many people here tried it for the first time and loved it. They also liked the bread that we served. Overall the reaction was very good. Just some people wanted more spice, and we gave that to them. People loved it.

Have your old customers from Jio’s Turkish Kebab House come to eat at your new restaurant, Sultan’s?
Jio: Mostly, yes. We make announcements on Facebook so people keep up to date. The customers literally became our friends. The other customers call us and we inform them of the new place one by one. We’ve been open here at Sultan’s for about four months.

Can you tell us a bit about the process of importation of your ingredients?
Jio: It’s quite a long process. In takes about three days to release the items from customs after they’ve arrived. It can take longer depending on the items. Sometimes you can bring so many items, and if they say no, you have to dispose of all the items.

It sounds like a lot of hard work! Are you happy doing this business?
Jio: I am happy. Of course, there are moments where I feel tired and exhausted, but overall I’m happy as I’m doing what I wanted to do.

Rebecca: I feel the same. We get to meet lots of interesting people. But working for yourself isn’t always easy. When we’re on duty, we’re no longer husband and wife. But after, when we go home, we’re husband and wife again.

Jio: Of course we have to be professional. It’s the first step to succeeding.

Moving away from the business now. Jio, how did you find adapting to Rebecca’s family here and the language?
Jio: I don’t think the language was so difficult for me. There are so many common words between Turkish and French. I’m quite good when it comes to language. I’m learning everyday.
The family are great. My in-laws are like my own parents. When we first arrived, we were living together, we ate together and we were a family. That helped me a lot to understand Mauritian people and adapt to them. Rebecca has a big family and her family live within walking distance, but with my family in Turkey, everyone is quite far away. Turkey is big country. The last time I saw my uncle was about ten years ago - we keep in touch, but seeing him in person, it’s been about ten years.

When you have time off from work, what do you like to do in Mauritius?
Jio: I like fishing, but in three years I haven’t caught a single fish! When we lived in Highlands there was a river near where we lived and I caught lobsters there and small shrimps. But I don’t like seafood. That’s why you don’t find it here on the menu. If I don’t like it, you can’t have it either! *laughs*

But other than that I like watching movies but I have an issue with the cinema here. The films are shown in French and there’s only one time a day that you can go at 6pm where the film is in the original language. And even then they put French subtitles! Sometimes there are other subtitles as well, and all in all it takes up half the screen! So, we tend to buy bluerays and watch at home.

As a professional, I’m an electrical engineer so I enjoy building things. At our home, I built the fishpond. I prefer to build things myself instead of buying them. Other than that, we enjoy going to the beach and relaxing that way.

And finally, what are your plans for the future?
Jio: I’d love to open a Turkish supermarket and really offer Turkish products here in Mauritius. I also act as a consultant helping other Turkish people to set up businesses here in Mauritius, so I plan on continuing with that. Long term? I’d really love to live in Japan. I’ve visited and I really love the culture, lifestyle and people there. But for now, Mauritius is home.

Jio & Rebecca’s new venture, Sultan Turkish Restaurant, is now open in Mont Choisy Shopping Mall, Grand Baie, serving authentic, fresh Turkish food. You can find them on Facebook as @sultanturkish.

By Sabah Ismail & Khalid Khadaroo