How the Arslans turned gozleme into a QVM staple

Ekrem Arslan and his wife Asiye were the first in Melbourne to sell gozleme, he says. Nearly a quarter of a century on, his happy family market business has expanded but remains largely unchanged.

When Ekrem and Asiye Arslan first came to the Queen Victoria Market (QVM) in 2003, “nobody knew what a gozleme was,” he says.

“There was not a single soul that knew, and we had to introduce it.”

It was a good thing to be doing because it really is a good street food and it was sort of an audience catcher because it’s all done by hand in front of everybody as they order it.

At the same time, they were serving “classic kebabs,” and both types of Turkish snack food were popular.

Ekrem’s first career had been as a motor mechanic.

“As a young person, that was something I loved, but then we got into a shop in Brunswick ... and it grew too big and just became something I didn’t want to do anymore,” he says.

After starting a catering business and working at events all over Victoria he and Asiye found their way into QVM and its night market.

“Back then, the night market was a pretty big thing, it was attracting huge crowds,” he says.

With stock more affordable, prices were lower, and profits fatter.

“The crowd was there, so in terms of making money, it was a lot easier.

“It was good, it was satisfying, and we just kept going.”

When the opportunity arose, the couple took up a market shop on Victoria St.

After about three years the surrounding traders began to feel like family.

“That was the environment back then and still is today,” Ekrem says. “Like when we see the old traders, it’s still like, ‘wow! G’day!’ and you go and have a drink or whatever.”

“It’s hard to explain but the bonds are really tight. You sort of look after one another.”

Somewhere around 2010 the couple moved into F Shed and eventually got two shops side by side, allowing space for the now separate goz and kebab businesses.

Then COVID happened.

“Every single neighbour that I had just left the shop and walked off,” Ekrem says.

“I just chewed into my savings, and thought, ‘no, I’m gonna hang in as long as I can’. “They were tough, tough times.”

Those days are well behind the business now and Ekrem has plenty of people to talk to.

His four kids, who have grown up there, love the market, and two of them – eldest daughter Nez, and son Talha – work with him there, while the youngest – Saliha –comes in to make “Turkish coffee cooked in hot sand” at the night markets.

“We’ve never changed anything here from day one,” Ekrem says, although he is now serving a range of breakfasts, including a Turkish-style meal of gozleme with condiments – jams, feta, olives, tomatoes and cucumber.

“It’s all the same operation style. We’ve got staff on board as well, but we’re still family run,” he says.

His no-trouble philosophy is probably one of the trade secrets.

“I’ve always been friends with my kids and get along well with my wife.”

“We don’t argue, and we sort of stay away from stress, and it’s probably helped,” he says.

He describes the family as “pretty closely bonded”.

“We see each other at work, and if that’s not enough, we go home, and then the kids come over to see their family.”

As for the food, he believes the longevity of the business is its best review.

“For us to have been here as long as we have, I believe our food must be okay!”

“We don’t do a lot of social media. We just rely on good old-fashioned word of mouth!” •