For Isil Okcu, food has always been about more than what is on the plate. Growing up in Turkey, some of her fondest memories were of sharing simple foods with her family, a feeling that continues to shape the way she cooks today. Now based in Hong Kong after a decade working all across the globe from New York and Istanbul to Berlin and France, Isil is the Senior Sous Chef at Soho House, where she leads kitchen operations and develops new culinary concepts. She is also the founder of Soho House Meze, a Turkish dining experience that celebrates the flavours and communal dining traditions of the Eastern Mediterranean.

“I grew up eating simit with honey and kaymak,” Isil says of the food of her childhood. “Simit is a Turkish sesame-covered bread, and kaymak is a rich, creamy dairy product – almost like clotted cream. We would tear the simit apart, add some honey and kaymak, and eat it together. It’s very simple, but it’s such a nostalgic combination for me.

“But there wasn’t really one specific signature dish in my family,” she continues. “I grew up with a lot of Aegean-style Turkish food, especially vegetable dishes cooked with olive oil. For me, it was never just about one dish — it was more about the whole table, with lots of different plates to share.”

Despite their love of food, there were no chefs in her family, and Isil had never imagined she’d become a chef herself either. It was only when it came time to decide what to study that she had to choose between gastronomy and design, eventually deciding on Culinary Arts and Management.

“I eventually chose Culinary Arts and Management because I felt that my creative side would fit naturally into food,” she says. “After I graduated, every internship and place I’ve worked in has continued to inspire me and shape the way I cook today.”

After leaving school, she went on to work at Soho House Dumbo and Ludlow House in New York, Soho House Istanbul and Soho House Berlin, as well as luxury hospitality properties in France, giving her the opportunity to work across different culinary environments. And as she grew, her interests extended beyond the kitchen as well. She tells us she’s particularly drawn to the relationship between food, design and the overall dining experience. For her, a memorable meal is not necessarily defined by a single dish, but by how everything comes together.

“One of the most memorable places I’ve been to was Le Doyenné, a restaurant and guesthouse about 45 minutes outside Paris,” she recalls. “Everything felt connected – the food, the setting, the garden, the table and the way the whole experience unfolded. That is what makes a meal memorable for me.”

It’s perhaps this appreciation for details that explains why she enjoys working across food styling and visual storytelling, where the presentation of a dish can be just as important as its flavours. Whether she is developing recipes or creating a dining experience, she approaches each project with the idea that food should engage people beyond the act of eating. But more importantly, what matters most to Isil is the people sitting around the table. She wants guests to feel comfortable, curious and connected, without the formality that can sometimes make dining feel intimidating. Having found a sense of community through her own work at Soho House, she also sees food as a way to help others experience that same feeling.

“Community, to me, means bringing like-minded people together and creating a place where they feel comfortable being themselves,” she says. “That’s one of the reasons I enjoy working at Soho House. It has a strong sense of home – you can come in, see the people you want to see, meet new people and feel part of something. As a chef, I love being able to contribute to that feeling through food and hospitality.

“And if I like you, I’ll probably cook for you – that’s one of the ways I show care.”