Chef Ahmet Dilber is excited to be back in Bellefontaine, opening Sunshine Healthy Kitchen Mediterranean Cuisine at 909 S. Main St. this week. (EXAMINER PHOTO | Mandy Loehr)
Chef Ahmet Dilber learned to cook at his grandmother’s restaurant growing up as a young boy in the country of Turkey, and recently, he has returned to Bellefontaine to share the fresh flavors from home and from his many travels abroad and throughout the U.S. with area residents.
The 59-year-old chef opened Sunshine Healthy Kitchen Mediterranean Cuisine Tuesday, March 5, to eager diners, many of whom had the chance to partake of his authentic and freshly-prepared gyros, kebabs, falafel and other dishes in previous years, when he operated Honey Bee Healthy Kitchen at the same location, 909 S. Main St., Bellefontaine, next to KFC.
The former restaurant opened in 2017, and Chef Dilber said he ran the business until “a little before COVID” approximately in September 2019, when he left the area to travel the U.S. and to “experience the culture and foods of America,” he said this week.
After his travels working as a chef in a number of states, including Texas, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin, he decided to come back to Bellefontaine to stay permanently. He related he enjoys the small town environment to a larger city and makes it his goal to make his customers feel welcome and engaged in the dining experience.
“I like to talk to everyone who comes in and getting to know the customers; they’re like family. I want this to feel like home for them,” he said, while greeting guests and showing them to their tables this week. “This is what I like, a small restaurant, compared to a big restaurant in a big city.”
For the last month, the experienced chef has been working “day and night, day and night,” to prep the space for the new restaurant, including revamping the interior.
As a youngster, Dilber said his grandmother taught him how to make foods “very flavorful.” That is certainly the case with the Sunshine Healthy Kitchen menu items made from scratch, from appetizers, including sun-dried tomatoes from Turkey paired with olive oil, garlic and rosemary and pita bread for dipping; and the wide variety of Mediterranean kabobs such as lamb kebabs, chicken kebabs, souvlaki (marinated pork tenderloin), and adana kebabs (seasoned ground lamb and beef flavored with green peppers), all grilled over an open flame and served with mixed vegetables and white rice or Turkish rice.
The gyro features hand carved marinated ground beef and lamb grilled on a large vertical rotisserie, and marinated roasted eggplant with cream sauce.
A kids menu is available for little appetites as well, and baklava makes its way onto the dessert menu.
“The menu might look familiar to those who have been here before. Every six months or so, I’m hoping to expand it and add new items,” said Dilber, who also traveled across Europe as a young man through the countries of Turkey, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Greece, picking up many recipes along the way.
In 2007, he came to the U.S., arriving in Miami, where he began his American culinary career.
As for the name of the new restaurant, it is aptly named for Dilber’s sister, Aynur, whose name in Turkish means “sunshine.” Her sunny demeanor also greets guests at the restaurant, and she was busy bustling from table to table to take orders on opening day.
Chef Dilber posts restaurant updates, specials and a sneak peek at his dishes on his Instagram, sunshine_cuisine_bellefontaine, and on Facebook, “Honey Bee Healthy Kitchen.”
Sunshine Healthy Kitchen Mediterranean Cuisine is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday and is closed Monday. Carry-out can be ordered by calling (937) 404-4001.
Diners sit down for a meal Wednesday afternoon in the newly opened Sunshine Healthy Kitchen Mediterranean Cuisine. (EXAMINER PHOTO | Mandy Loehr)