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Turkish mother-of-two Ulku Ustun Altay wasn't ready to retire and relax after spending 18 years as a full-time mother and homemaker.
In 2004, she opened the doors to one of the island's few destinations to serve a feast of original Turkish cuisine - Anatolia Restaurant and Coffee Shop.
The name comes from the Turkish meaning of a peninsula between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.
She said: "I wanted to represent my country to the island's residents through its cuisine. I have been exposed to this kind of environment before, as my father owned a restaurant back home. I didn't want to just sit at home and I thought this was a good idea."
Situated at Cypress Gardens on the Budaiya Highway, the restaurant has been wooing diners to traditional Turkish ambience.
When Mrs Altay, 54, managing partner of the restaurant, started her restaurant plans from scratch - creating the interiors, decorating it with Turkish props, choosing the furniture, hiring the staff and setting up the kitchen.
"I have had to do almost everything from cleaning the place to waiting at tables."
She once cut her hand while washing glasses and ended up needing five stitches and suffered high blood pressure because of the strain of setting up the enterprise.
She added: "It used to be a very tough job in the beginning. During the first two years I used to be at the restaurant from 10am to midnight seeing to everything and making sure nothing was amiss.
"There are times I think I may have chosen the wrong career path because the job can be so demanding. However, things have eased a little although I am still very keen about quality and constantly keep a close eye on supervising the place."
One of the biggest challenges facing small restaurateurs is rising inflation.
Mrs Altay explained: "The prices of milk, vegetables and meat have increased a lot and these are our very essential ingredients. Despite our increased costs we try to keep our prices reasonable by absorbing as much as we can although we need to stay afloat."
The outlet has 14 staff who come from all over the world which results in many cultural challenges to deal with.
"This is a very sensitive part of the job," she said. "The staff is the key player in this business - the success and downfall of any restaurant depends on your relationship with them.
"Fortunately we enjoy a very friendly atmosphere most of the time. They call me their mother and I treat them as my children."
Customer feedback also plays a vital part in the restaurant's success. "We have received several praises for our food, reasonable prices and service. It's very pleasing to see such positive response when you know the amount of hard work you put into it," said Mrs Altay.
"With so much stress flying around in a busy kitchen it's a great feeling when people compliment the food and restaurant."
All the recipes, except for the kebabs, are her own which includes a list of special homemade dishes prevalent in Turkish households.
For diners new to the cuisine, Mrs Altay suggests the Imam Bayildi - egg plant in olive oil and tomatoes, Patlican Kizartma - egg plant and yoghurt and Sigala Boregi - pastry rolls stuffed with cheese - as starters.
Main course suggestions include the house special Guvec - lamb stew with vegetables, Manti - minced meat dumplings, Tavuk Pirzola - chicken chops, Paltican Kebab - grilled meat with egg plant, Kebab Halebi - grilled spicy meat with yoghurt and mixed grills.
A unique addition is the special Burghul rice, prepared with tomatoes and served with the kebabs. Also on the menu are pizza-like dishes such as Lahmacun (meat pizza), Kiymali Pide (thin Turkish bread topped with spiced beef) and Peynirli Pide (thin bread with cheese toppings). It is renowned for introducing the well-known Turkish bread to the island.
The restaurant can accommodate 60-70 people inside and also has an outside covered dining area. It is open daily from 10am till 11pm on week days and until midnight on weekends.
Mrs Altay shares a restaurant favourite recipe with GulfWeekly readers.
