Our Story
From Hamburg to Alanya
The Story Behind ALV Homes
Chapter 1 — 1987 – 2000
The Hope That Brought Us Here
Hamburg, early 1990s.
My parents came to Germany as immigrants with the hope of a better life for their family. They started from scratch, prepared to work hard for a future that was still taking shape.
My father, Azim, began as a dishwasher in Hamburg’s restaurant kitchens. He watched, learned and kept going, day after day. From that beginning came Stella D’oro, which means “The Golden Star”. The Italian restaurant would become so much of our family’s life.
For more than 20 years, Stella D’oro was a familiar part of Hamburg’s dining life. Regulars returned, friendships grew, and food lovers, actors and other well-known guests came through its doors. My father gave the restaurant its character: good food, a warm welcome and care in the daily work.
He showed us what it meant to take responsibility, adapt and lead by example. His discipline, honesty and perseverance were part of our daily lives. So was his belief in the future he was building.
Those lessons have stayed with me.
Chapter 2 — 2000 – 2013
Homework at the Regulars’ Table
I grew up in that restaurant, between the tables, the plates and the stories of the people who came there. As a child, I did my homework at the regulars’ table after school and began helping in the dining room and kitchen at an early age. Ten years later, my brother Fabian, ten years younger than me, did his homework at that same table. Some of our guests helped us with our schoolwork.
Holidays meant busy evenings and long shifts. Many guests watched us grow up. Some became friends and companions, part of our lives as much as the restaurant’s.
It was a demanding way to grow up. My father placed great importance on good manners and attention to detail. We learned to roll up our sleeves, stay flexible and work together. Looking back, I see how those early years laid the foundation for my own development. That shared childhood shaped both of us, and we remain grateful for what he taught us.
Chapter 3 — 2013
When Our Lives Changed
In 2013, I was already managing the day-to-day running of our family restaurant. My brother was still a schoolboy. I loved the restaurant and saw my future there. My father gave me the freedom to be creative, lead in my own way and try out my ideas. There was room for my own approach within the place he had created. That trust brought me joy and motivation, and I remain grateful for the chance to gain experience of my own.
Towards the end of 2013, my father suffered a severe stroke. Suddenly, he no longer recognised us. We could no longer talk things through with him, and he was no longer receptive to our explanations. He also had diabetes and could no longer give himself his insulin injections. We could not give him insulin against his will. Over time, further health complications arose, and he eventually needed dialysis. Years later, in 2020, he passed away. He was 57.
Watching his body and mind decline left us feeling helpless. He was my father, my example, the person who had shown us how to build a life. His illness had changed everything we had planned. Even as we hoped for better days, we had to find a way forward for our family.
In our circumstances, without a legal agreement between my father and me, I could not take over the restaurant against his wishes. It was painful to watch it slowly fade. The place where we had done our homework and learned to work had also been where I had hoped to build my future.
As our family lived through my father’s illness, I had to start a restaurant of my own so I could support them. The perseverance I had learned from my father and our years in the restaurant, together with my trust in God, helped me keep going. It meant starting again while trying to give our family some stability.
Through it all, our family grew closer. We had lost much of the life we knew, but we still had one another. That gave us strength.
Chapter 4 — 2014 – 2024
A New Beginning with Avantgarde “RA”
A new beginning came in 2014, while our family was still coping with my father’s illness. The restaurant around which our lives had been built was gradually falling into decline. What remained was everything those years had taught me: my craft, a sense of responsibility and a belief in what I could do. I wanted to create something of my own.
I invested all my own savings and my family’s savings in the new restaurant. For me, starting again was the only way to support my family. Loyal friends helped with the renovation and gave us emotional support. The name came quickly: Avantgarde.
In military terms, Avantgarde means the vanguard, those who move ahead. For me, it expressed the courage to move forward. In art, it stands for new ideas and the freedom to create differently. Cooking gave me a way to express my creativity and give dishes my own signature. The kitchen was my studio; with Avantgarde, I had a stage of my own for the first time.
In 2014, I opened Avantgarde. I was 26; my brother was 16. By then, I had years of practical experience in service and in the kitchen. I also handled all the administrative work myself. I was authorised to train apprentices as cooks and restaurant service specialists and held the relevant Chamber of Commerce certificates for running a restaurant. I put everything together in a very short time, developed the restaurant’s philosophy and created a new menu each week. I ran Avantgarde, and he worked alongside me, giving me a great deal of support.
I built our brand, RA. We opened without an illuminated sign outside the restaurant; it was five or six months after opening before the restaurant’s earnings allowed me to pay for one. Over time, Avantgarde became part of our guests’ lives and was fully booked weeks in advance, night after night.
Chapter 5 — from 2024
Saying Goodbye to Avantgarde
A farewell in song.
After ten intense years, we had to say goodbye to Avantgarde. I had been fortunate enough to live the kind of life restaurateurs dream of, and I remain deeply grateful for those years.
We had put so much of ourselves into that restaurant. Every week brought new dishes, new combinations and work on the smallest details. Our guests valued the food, the service and the warmth of the place. We wanted that care to be felt as soon as they came through the door.
When we announced the closure, the press followed our story closely. Our community, led by the mayor, honoured us personally with a certificate. We were deeply moved by that personal thank-you.
Guests who had been with us for years came in with tears in their eyes to say goodbye. Even those who could not get a table in the final month stopped by for a few personal words. At home, our living room filled with gifts, hand-painted portraits, albums full of memories and heartfelt letters. We saw, in all those gestures, how much the place had meant to people and how much they had come to mean to us.
We had not chosen this farewell. The press article explains the circumstances that forced us to let go. We looked back with sadness and faced the future with hope. Both feelings stayed with us.
I am grateful for the wonderful years in Germany and for what I learned there: discipline, reliability and care for others. Through earlier hardships, I had seen God open new paths. That gave me hope as we said goodbye, and my trust in Him remains. I have learned to see setbacks and problems as tasks to work through and to focus on finding solutions. In my own life, difficult times have often been followed by something even better. That experience gives me confidence and makes me look forward to the challenges ahead.
Recognition of our work
Chapter 6 — 2024 – 2025
Finding Home in Alanya
After all those years in Germany, we packed our bags and moved to Türkiye with my mother. Losing my father had made me more aware that our time is limited, and time with her felt even more precious. She felt at home from the very first day. When my mother is happy, I am too.
Alanya became our home. Here, we found closeness as a family, a sense of cultural connection and the possibility of a new start. The place where others came for a holiday was now our everyday life. Simply being here together already enriches our lives.
Through investments and renovations, real estate had long been part of my life. I was also interested in spaces and design. Those interests gave my working life a new direction here.
That was the beginning of ALV Homes, my boutique real estate agency. Much of the approach felt familiar from hospitality: meeting different people, understanding their perspectives and keeping their wishes and needs at the centre. I wanted to help them explore suitable options and make decisions with greater clarity.
The difficult years had taught me to remain calm under pressure, assess a situation carefully and work towards solutions. That is the attitude I bring to my work today.
I began helping in my family’s restaurant at eight. Later, I ran my own business and moved from Germany to Türkiye. These experiences shaped my understanding of a new beginning. I want them to make the way clearer and easier for our clients.
Chapter 7 — 2026 – Today
The Next Chapter: Thailand & Bali
Alanya is home. My story now reaches further.
Many holidays and longer stays have made Thailand and Bali important places in my life, alongside Alanya. I have built personal connections and come to know more of everyday life and local customs. That personal connection now also shapes my work with ALV Homes.
Knowing a place over time changes the way you see it.
Today, we advise and support clients in Alanya, Thailand and Bali.
Some are drawn to Alanya’s Mediterranean way of life, others to Bali’s tropical calm or the variety and energy of Thailand. We hear very different hopes in those conversations.
Legal frameworks and investment structures differ.
Understanding these differences is part of deciding what a place could mean for someone’s future.
Everyday life matters too. A place that suits one person may not suit another.
We help people understand those differences and the practical steps ahead, including what still needs to be clarified.
First, we want to understand their plans: how they hope to live, what matters to them and the part an investment would play.
In the end, our clients decide which path is right for their own lives.
Chapter 8:
To be continued…