The Hutong Favorite: An Interview With Café Zarah GM Seda Sakaoğlu Ahead of Zarah's 15th Birthday
Sustainability and inclusiveness have been thrown around a lot these days in the culinary world, but at Café Zarah, a Dongcheng hutong favorite among expats, these two elements are key to their guiding practices of creating an eco-friendly space where everyone feels welcome to dine.
Zarah will soon be celebrating 15 years in the capital, and it has recently closed temporarily to undergo three weeks of renovations, with plans to reopen in late November. Prior to the closure, I spoke with Zarah's general manager, Seda Sakaoğlu, to find out what's in store for the hutong haunt after the makeover, and also to find out more about her efforts in adopting new dining concepts at the venue.
This is Zarah's third renovation, after eight years. Why now?
The café is built on a concrete, steel and wooden structure. The ceiling is an old Chinese-style wooden structure, so it needs small yet constant repairs all the time. When it rains at Zarah, you'll be able to see raindrops falling down and forming into little puddles, which, although it might seem a bit romantic, can be quite annoying since we have to put buckets everywhere under the roof to catch the water every time it rains. So, the main goal of this renovation is to ensure the roof can be waterproofed again.
Are there going to be any noticable changes that customers will be able to see after the makeover?
There won't be much in the way of changes to the overall design of Zarah. We're just fixing things and making some needed touchups to the floor and peeling walls. The walls of the back room and bathrooms are also peeling, if you haven't noticed. That's why we decided it's high time for some maintenance.
What was your background prior to joining Zarah?
I am German but I have a Turkish background: My parents are both from Turkey. We had a kebab shop in Germany. Twelve years ago I decided to come to China where I took up a job as a management trainee in a hotel and later transitioned to the embassy sales industry, where I worked for six years. Just when I was about to head home, I got an offer from Zarah. It was never actually part of my life plan, but I've since made China my home.
What made you stay?
My now husband, then ex-boyfriend, is also from Germany. He was already in China when I arrived. Just when I was ready to leave, the offer from Zarah came in like a sign from the universe at the perfect time! So I stayed and we got married a year later!
You mentioned you used to work in the hotel and embassy sales industries prior to coming to Zarah. How does working at a laid back venue like Zarah compare?
Previously, when I was working in the hotel industry, I had to comply with strict rules. You have to do your hair in a certain way and there wasn't much room for your creativity because it is a big corporation. I was looking for other opportunities but I wasn't sure what my next job would be. I just wanted to find a place where I could do all the things I wanted to do. I never thought I would end up working at a café. Working at Zarah does allow me to get creative and make my own decisions.
Can you give us some examples of the kinds of things you have created here at Zarah?
Zarah is one of the first places in Beijing that stopped using plastic. It was in 2019 that we started using steel straws instead of plastic ones. At that time there was not that much in the way of awareness for sustainable dining options. That's why this was a big step us for us to shift in that direction. But it is certainly not an easy task since the staff have to wash the steel straws properly over and over again and it's not like we can throw them away like plastic straws.
Of course, I also have to communicate with the staff and explain to them why we're doing extra work instead of buying all that plastic stuff. When the government put a nationwide ban on disposable plastic straws for the catering industry in 2020, we were happy to be one of the few restaurants to have started the trend.
You also brought the idea of vegan brunches to Zarah?
Yes. There were very few restaurants in Beijing that did vegan brunches before, and we were one of the first restaurants that started doing vegan brunches in 2017. I'm a vegetarian myself. I just have respect for all living beings. We also make sure all our menu items are labelled to tell people whether the dish is vegetarian, vegan, or if it contais pork, because there are people who don't eat pork for religious reasons. We just want Zarah to be a place that accommodates different views and ideas.
Moving forward, what are some of the ideas that you would like to put into Zarah in the future?
One thing I have been thinking of recently is to turn Zarah into a breastfeeding-friendly café where moms feel comfortable and welcomed when they are feeding their babies in public. I certainly don't want any mom to feel embarrassed to nurse her little one! In Germany, there are coffeeshops where they have stickers to show they're a breastfeeding-friendly restaurant. I have been doing some research about the public opinion on breastfeeding in China. I actually never thought about this topic until I became pregnant recently. We also have a gender-neutral bathroom at Zarah, and we definitely want more inclusion.
Is there going to be a party when Zarah reopens after three weeks?
We're turning 15 years old soon! My idea is to throw a big birthday party. I haven't come up with the specifics yet. But one thing is for sure: we'll have DJs and music. We're thinking of doing something very special but we're not there yet. I have been brainstorming ideas recently.
READ: Small Batch Makes Cookies So Good You Won't Believe They're Vegan
Images: Irene Li, Courtesy of Cafe Zarah
