Istanbul Grill reopens after owner’s heart attack

FAIRFIELD – Istanbul Grill in Fairfield reopened Tuesday after being closed for over two months while its owner and chef recovered from a heart attack.

David Foraker said he is lucky to be alive after his trip to the emergency room on March 7. His wife and restaurant co-owner Saniye Izol remembers that she asked her husband the week before if he was having heart problems, because she noticed a change in his behavior.

“He said, ‘No, I’m just tired because it’s a busy time,’” Saniye recalls. “Finally, that Thursday, he was feeling really bad, and getting cold, coughing and sweating.”

By 1:30 p.m. on March 7, Saniye could tell that David’s condition had worsened so they closed the restaurant and went to Jefferson County Health Center. From there, David was taken by ambulance to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, where doctors informed him that the right side of his heart was completely blocked and the left side was 85 percent blocked.

David had bypass surgery and had to spend two weeks in the hospital. He’s going to physical therapy three times per week, and his doctor advises him not to push himself too much. David said he felt that his condition had improved enough in the two months since his heart attack that he was ready to fire up the stove again on Tuesday morning, May 21. A huge crowd turned out to show their support for David and Saniye and tell the couple how much they missed them.

Saniye said her regular customers have been so great during this period, calling and texting to ask how they could help.

“Our friends and customers sent nice cards, and some came to visit us in the hospital,” she said. “We are lucky to have them, because our families live far away.”

David remarked that Fairfield is a “small community with a big heart.”

Since David is still recovering, the couple plans to serve only breakfast and lunch but not supper, and thus will be open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday. David said that once he feels better, they will go back to serving all three meals of the day.

David and Saniye are from Turkey and grew up near the city of Tarsus on the Mediterranean Sea. Both of them are trained as agricultural engineers, but they also have a few decades of experience in the food service industry. Saniye said her first experience working in a restaurant was when she got a job at a Pizza Hut in Turkey. David has worked in French wineries, and for seven or eight years in Napa Valley.

The couple has operated restaurants in other cities in Southeast Iowa such as in Mt. Pleasant, Ottumwa and Keokuk. They’ve lived in Fairfield since 2000, and in 2007 they opened Istanbul Grill.

“I know Fairfield is a cultural town, where different cultures meet,” David said. “We didn’t see any type of Mediterranean restaurant at that time, so we thought it would be good for the town to start one. It’s not 100 percent Turkish since it’s mixed with traditional American meals as well.”

David and Saniye said their most popular dishes include their kebabs, felafel, and their variety of salads such as their chicken breast salad and Turkish shepherd’s salad. Saniye said it’s been hard to find enough employees since the pandemic, so at the moment it’s just the two of them, with David cooking and Saniye serving.

“We are so happy to be back,” Saniye said. “We missed our customers and we think they missed us, too, because it was crazy busy this morning.”

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Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com

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