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vol . 3 , no. 52 : September 4-10, 2024 : losgatan.com
91 -year-old carver p8 : holy city p10 : ny times crossword puzzle p15 : student mental health p16 Drew Penner / Los Gatan
GREEK-ANATOLIAN RESTAURANT WILL MOVE INTO EMPTY SIDECAR SPACE Coskun Abik is the chef behind Blind Butcher, Dunya Bistro, Lark
Fifth-grader got lessons from Olympic medalist Choi Byung-Chul
Drew Penner, Editor
On Friday afternoon, Coskun Abik, 48, inspected the flooring work underway at the site of his new venture in Los Gatos. The Kurdish chef from Cypress behind such Bay Area eateries as Blind Butcher SF, Dunya Bistro and Moka Coffee SF is opening a Greek-Anatolian restaurant at 25 E. Main St., which was most recently home to Sidecar Modern Tavern. “It’s a great opportunity to bring a couple of my touches,” he said. It will be the second Mediterranean-focused dining spot to spring up on the picturesque downtown strip this year, after brothers Milad and Chef Esam Shaqir, who grew up in the Middle East, opened Dar Restaurant and Bar this spring. “This might be similar, but the flavors (are) totally different,” Abik said, explaining the back-of-house in each business will be influenced by ingredients from the different geographical regions. “Whatever they grow in their area they use as their sources.” ➝ Coskun Abik, 12
SLAIN TRAVELS THE WORLD FOR FENCING COMPETITIONS Emanuel Lee, Sports Editor
Owen Slain has already traveled to 15 countries—that’s four more than the number of years he’s been alive. Just this summer alone, the Daves Avenue fifth-grader traveled to Costa Rica, Italy and South Korea for fencing tournaments, a sport he became passionate about from the moment he picked up a blade in 2018. The 11-year-old ended the 2023-2024 junior foil fenci n g s e a s o n No . 1 2 i n t h e 10-and-under national rankings. Now he’s competing in ➝ Competitive Fencer, 14
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NEW VENTURE Coskun Abik supervises construction at 25 E. Main St. in Los Gatos Friday. His Greek-Anatolian concept is set to sprout in the shuttered Sidecar space.
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