Gold Coast dining: Turkish bakehouse fulfils a long held dream

A family sorrow led this mother-daughter team to open their Turkish inspired bakehouse at a booming Gold Coast location. And they have created an incredible menu.

Mother and daughter duo, Jade (left) and Pinar Karpaz in their first venture Elk Bakehouse at Coomera. Picture Glenn Hampson

IT HAD always been Pinar Karpaz’s dream to open a little place that served the wonderful goodies of her Turkish homeland.

When Pinar’s mother passed away at just 67 with Alzheimer’s and dementia, Pinar and her daughter Jade Karpaz took a message from it: life’s too short.

It was the push they needed to realise Pinar’s long-held dream.

“I said to Mum ‘let’s do it’,” Jade says. “She’d never really had the courage to take the step before but I said I’d help her. We just thought we had to.”

Jade Karpaz. Picture Glenn hampson

Pinar left her government job of 11 years and Jade resigned from her position with Aldi and the two served a baptism of fire cutting through the red tape and officialdom that came with setting up a venture from scratch.

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The struggle has been worth it — the warm and homely Elk Bakehouse in Coomera City Centre is now offering up tasty home style delights of Turkey and the Mediterranean.

Pinar, who came to Australia as a teenager, is in charge of the kitchen, recreating her mother’s recipes — a lovely way to pay tribute to her every day, Jade says.

“We do Grandma’s crumpets,” Jade says. “They’re made fresh and shallow fried and covered in rosewater sugar syrup and served warm with cream and crushed pistachios.”

Travellers to Turkey will also recognise the authentic Turkish street food simit, a cross between a bagel and a pretzel, crunchy on the outside and soft inside, which can be eaten as is or served as a toastie with sucuk (Turkish salami) and cheese.

Simit served with classic Turkish sides. Picture Glenn Hampson

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“We also do a lot of filo pastry goodies, both savoury and sweet,” Jade says.

Elk Bakehouse’s cabinets feature traditional Turkish borek filled with savoury mince; spinach and fetta pastries; gozleme; sucuk and egg pies and Aussie style pies as well.

On the sweet side, you can’t go past a piece of Pinar’s traditional baklava which sits alongside regular Australian cakes and slices.

A sweet treat from Elk Bakehouse. Picture Glenn Hampson

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Of course, it can’t really be a Turkish inspired bakehouse without traditional Turkish coffee and tea. Both are available as well as Australian style coffee and a wide variety of tea blends.

“A lot of our pastries are very breakfasty, perfect to have with a coffee or tea,” Jade says. “We’ve had a lot of good feedback since we’ve opened.

“People like that we’re doing something a bit different for the Gold Coast. There is not a lot of Turkish style baked goods and they’re going over pretty well.”

Grandma would, no doubt, be very proud.

Elk Bakehouse at Coomera City Cente, 1 Commercial Street, Upper Coomera is open Tuesday to Saturday, 7am to 4pm and Sunday, 7am to 2pm.