Welcome to Tatlıspot where you’ll find the best of Turkish and European cakes, cookies, toffees, fudge and truffles. If you are looking for quality, something sweet, and something made with care, attention, and pride, then you have found the right, and best, little bake shop in Zekeriyaköy.

I am Sema. I live in Istanbul with my husband and our three children. For far too long I worked as a finance professional constantly sacrificing a joy for home cooking and baking to reach CFO in the corporate world of boardrooms, constant travel, and too many dull accountancy offices. No more. Finally, after twenty years of working for other people, some very cool, and some not, it is time I work for myself and feed my own passion for food. Following skills long learnt from my mother and grandmother, and new ones from chocolatiers in London and Istanbul, I am very pleased to now persue a dream long envisioned but always ignored. At last I have my own little shop to create traditional delicious cakes and treats from the best ingredients and best methods… handmade with care, pride, and the proper attention to detail.

Over the years, between juggling children and work, I have developed and honed technique with some fantastic pastry chefs, both Turkish and European, and even, from time to time been able to impress my mum, herself a very able self-taught baker. Now it is time to share the experience of my mother and grandmother’s kitchens with anyone who cares to pop-in and find the time to enjoy a sweet spot, or savory moment, in their day.

I love learning new cooking techniques and love the creative aspect of baking. I read cookbooks as if they were favourite novels. Tatlıspot was born in my own kithchen 18 months ago. It began from an honest reaction to an over-priced product that dissatisfied. Wanting to prove that good baking and quality need not be excessively costly but an expression of love and pride, I happily escaped the boardroom to set up my own bake shop and offer workshops to share my experience. I have not looked back since and hope not to begin now. Well, that’s me, Sema, and you are welcome to Tatlıspot any time.