Istanbul native Sofia D. Sözen’s most popular recipe is called “Coco Anjéla”. Through a former chain of Sofia’s restaurants in Turkey, this vegan desert became so famous that television crews are trying to get the recipe from her.
Factory Girl
Brunch Deluxe for the Soul
“I want to show people a Turkish cuisine that is not fat and meat-heavy, but very healthy and makes them happy at the same time.”
Sofia D. Sözen,
Owner of the FACTORY GIRL
Sofia began her education at an art school. She went on to study acting and ballet, then transferred to NYU, where she enrolled in business management and psychology. After graduating, she founded a restaurant chain in Turkey in 2004, sold it in 2009 and took some time off in Berlin. She immediately fell in love with the city and shortly after opened a small breakfast restaurant here, which she named “FACTORY GIRL.” A few years later, it opened a second branch in Amsterdam.
Sofia loves to put a modern, international twist on classic Turkish cuisine. “I grew up eating all these wonderful bright vegetables,” she says. “I’ve been a vegetarian for as long as I can remember. Turkish cuisine has an undiscovered side with fantastic vegan or vegetarian ingredients that can all be combined.”
Catalan, Provençal, Jewish, vegan, vegetarian
She has added more Mediterranean ingredients to traditional Turkish dishes, and Catalan, Provençal, and Jewish specialities have also found their way onto the FACTORY GIRL menu. Each dish is available in a vegan and a vegetarian version.
Sofia runs the FACTORY GIRL stores in Berlin and Amsterdam together with her life partner Erhan O. Seven. He grew up on a farm near the western Turkish city of Izmir and was influenced by the richly laid breakfast table of rural regions. “There are lots of little plates and bowls on the table with different treats,” he says, “that you can choose between. That’s how breakfast has to be for me.”
Mediterranean brunch with an international touch
Factory Girl’s recipe secret
Coco Anjéla, the most famous dish of the FACTORY GIRL, is a dessert reminiscent of pudding. This dessert also has its roots in traditional Turkish cuisine. And the recipe? Sofia reveals only this much: in vegan cream and soy or oat milk are folded flour, vanilla, and a little sugar.
Depending on the variant (there are three of them), chopped vegan cookies or berries and black chocolate or lemon are then added. Then it’s simply: feast! And viewers of the Turkish TV stations who want to uncover the secret of the recipe are of course cordially invited – to Berlin or Amsterdam.
Factory Girl at a glance
Kitchen:
mediterranean
vegetarian & vegan
Brunch
The restaurant in 3 words:
affectionate
cordial
warm
Our recommendation:
Healthy Shakshuka!
Suitable for:
People who want to start their days with pleasure
Price range:
€-€€
Opening hours:
Monday to Friday 09:00 – 15:00
Sat and Sun 09:00 – 16:00
Address:
Auguststraße 29c, 10119 Berlin
More info:
on the website of the Factory Girl
