What’s for dinner this month and what are we drinking? We ask Executive Chef Erhan Kostepen and his Wynwood, Florida restaurant Doya to answer the proverbial question, recipes and all!
In Wynwood, Florida—a suburb of Miami—a modern Aegean Meze restaurant called Doya, helmed by Executive Chef Erhan Kostepen, is all about seasonal ingredients and honest cooking.
Founded by Kostepen, Jerry Bock and Rob Van Den Blink, the restaurant focuses on preparing decadent, yet no-fuss dishes with Greece, Turkey and Mediterranean inspired flavors. Doya is a COVID-19 success story, officially opening in late 2021 following construction delays to become a top restaurant in Magic City.
OUR EXPERTS | Executive Chef Erhan Kostepen and Head Bartender Anthony Medina
WHERE YOU’LL FIND THEM | Doya
THE INSPO | Coastal culinary creations
DINNER | Mussels
DRINK | Mykonos
“We always say that Doya is a time capsule, where you feel as if you could come in by sunrise and leave by sundown,” Kostepen said. “It lures you in via a warm ambiance, great food and amazing company. It is one of the only places outside of the Aegean where you can authentically experience the coastal culinary lifestyle.”
Kostepen grew up above a restaurant in the coastal town of Izmir, Turkey and to this day he continues to draw flavor inspiration from his childhood. At just 10-years-old, he began working in local seafood restaurants and at home he helped cook mezes with his mother for friends and family.
Prior to Doya, Kostepen co-founded and served as the executive chef of Miami’s ICONIC Mandolin Aegean Bistro, and he has co-owned and held positions at various restaurants in Miami and Istanbul. With more than 20 years of hospitality and culinary experience, he follows one simple yet important rule in the kitchen—cook with love.
“Cooking is who I am and how I express myself,” Kostepen said. “It’s my love language.”
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So, what is for dinner and what are we having for drinks?
“Cooking is who I am and how I express myself,” Kostepen said. “It’s my love language.”
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DINNER | Mussels
Ingredients
• 15 pieces of mussel
• 1 teaspoon of minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
• ½ cup of dry white wine
• Dash of oregano, salt and parsley to taste
• 2 slices of toasted sourdough bread
Method
Melt butter, then add mussels and garlic. Cook for 1 minute. Add wine, salt and oregano. Cover and cook for around 3 minutes, until mussels open up.
Garnish with chopped parsley and bread.
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DRINK | Mykonos
By Head Bartender Anthony Medina
Ingredients
• ¾ ounce Diplomatico Rum
• 1 ounce Myers’s Rum
• ½ ounce Amaro Montenegro
• ¾ ounce passion fruit
• ½ ounce Falernum
• ¾ ounce lemon juice
• 1 black cherry
• 1 slice of grapefruit
• Sprig of mint
Method
Combine ingredients in a shaker. Shake and serve over ice.
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