A New Wave of Labneh with Ilay Karateke of Bezi
After working together for a year and hitting it off, Ilay and Hasan decided to make labneh a thing by creating BEZI and launching it first in their beloved New York.
Happy Tuesday! Last week was crazy busy but also so fun being able to work from Nashville again. I’m so excited to share this week’s podcast episode with Ilay from Bezi. Talking to her pre-launch to now seeing Bezi’s initial launch has been amazing to watch. This episode is such a great listen <3
Calling all Columbus, OH matcha lovers!!
I’ll be hosting a matcha pop up alongside MKB Ceramics this SATURDAY! Shop the rows of tents on the corner of N High St & E Como Ave starting at 12pm. I hope to see you there 💚🍵
Podcast
Ilay Karateke of Bezi
A McKinsey consultant turned into a cheesemaker, Ilay is out to make labneh a thing as the co-founder and CEO of BEZI.
She began her career as a financial services consultant at McKinsey and was sponsored by the firm to pursue her MBA at Columbia Business School in New York. During her time at Columbia, Ilay fell in love with the city, built her community through dinner parties at her home, known as Cafe Ilay, and completed her "business school summer internship" at a Mediterranean farm, milking cows and sheep, and learning to make cheese from scratch.
Despite her passion, Ilay unfortunately lacked the courage to launch her own cheese company at the time and returned to McKinsey’s New York office to become an Engagement Manager.
After her promotion, Ilay left McKinsey to help launch Getir’s (the parent company of FreshDirect) US operations, where she spent 2.5 years overseeing merchandising, commercial, and marketing departments. It was during this period that she met her co-founder, Hasan, the heir to one of Turkey’s largest cheesemaking families.
After working together for a year and hitting it off, Ilay and Hasan decided to make labneh a thing by creating BEZI and launching it first in their beloved New York after 1 year of working behind the scenes.
IG eatbezi | eatbezi.com
Rapid-fire questions —
Go-to snack plate:
Fresh apricots or peaches with labneh on it
No. 1 piece of advice:
Trust yourself.
Listen to the episode:
Recipes
Rosé Slushie — created in collaboration with Wander + Ivy
Ingredients:
- 1 bottle of Wander + Ivy Rosé
- 1/2 watermelon, cubed and frozen overnight
- 1/4 cup strawberry syrup
- 1 donut peach or white peach, frozen whole overnight
- Juice of 1/2 a lime
Directions:
1. To a blender add Rosé, frozen watermelon, and strawberry syrup. Blend until smooth and a slushy consistency is achieved.
2. Spoon into a bowl. Using a microplane or fine grater, grate the frozen peach overtop. Add a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
Fried Snapper with an Olive Tapenade — created in collaboration with Woody’s
Ingredients:
- 2 lb whole snapper
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp freshly cracked peppercorns
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- Potato starch, for dredging
- 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- ½ cup green olives
- ½ cup Kalamata olives
- ½ cup Castelvetrano olives (or similar)
- ½ tsp red chili flakes
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 sprigs fresh mint
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- Optional: edible flowers, for garnish
Directions:
1. Mix the kosher salt and cracked peppercorns in a small bowl. Generously season the snapper inside and out with this mixture. Set aside.
2. In a large cast-iron skillet, heat about 1 inch of vegetable oil over medium heat until it reaches 325°F.
3. Lightly dredge the seasoned snapper in potato starch, shaking off any excess. Carefully lower the fish into the hot oil and fry undisturbed for 4-6 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Spoon hot oil over the fish as it cooks to ensure even frying. Once cooked, transfer the fish to a wire rack set over a baking sheet to drain. Let rest for 5 minutes.
4. While the fish is frying, heat the extra virgin olive oil in a small sauté pan. Add the sliced garlic and cook over low heat until softened and fragrant. Set aside to cool.
5. On a cutting board, finely mince the green, kalamata, and Castelvetrano olives, along with the mint and thyme, until no pieces are larger than a pea. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in the chili flakes and cooled garlic-infused oil. Mix well.
6. Once the fish has rested, transfer it to a serving plate. Spoon the olive tapenade generously over the top. For an extra touch, garnish with edible flowers.
Enjoy your crispy fried snapper with a bright, herby olive tapenade!
Passionfruit Jello ft. Gelée [video]
I posted a video of the initial making of the gelée and it is popping off on TikTok! A fun recipe ft. this set gelée will be coming shortly :)
Weekly Favorites
Comeback Coffee Soda — I picked this up for Wes while visiting the cutest CPG shop and turns out it is incredible. We initially tried the Strawberry Lime flavor but quickly ran back to get the Lemon Thyme. Both are a must-try.
Kalona Supernaturals Cottage Cheese — After the gals behind Spillt got me back on the cottage cheese train a few months ago, it’s all I want to eat in the morning. I snagged this one while grocery shopping in Nashville and was floored by how delicious it is. I immediately looked up their store locator and found a stockist in Columbus.
Byoma Jelly Cleanser + Milky Toner — These were a random pickup after my cult classics were out of stock at Target and truthfully, my skin has never looked better. I’ll definitely be repurchasing.
Eat: In Good Company (East Nashville, TN) — Their local pantry shop is stocked with fun food and beverage products. Think Jacobsen salt, Graza potato chips, Coro cured meats, Phony Negroni, etc. Aside from the coffee soda can previously mentioned, my second most exciting pickup is Coop’s Peppermint Hot Fudge!
Read: Katie Stone’s Into The Fridge series on Substack is my favorite weekly read and I don’t see that changing anytime soon :)
Glasvin Wine Glasses: While in Nashville, we stopped by Bad Idea for a glass of wine and they served it in the thinnest, most delicate wine glasses. I fear I may need to get some…although a set of 6 is $237 lol.
ICYMI
xx,
Lauren (Hodgen)
Dear Citrus Diaries Host | @ citrusdiaries.studio
Citrus Diaries Studio | Creative Director
If you’re interested in working together, drop me a line: hello@citrusdiaries.com 🍊