Former Owner of Turkish Delight Opens Smyrna Restaurant in Downtown Halifax
HALIFAX – Michael Toker has long believed that to be a true restaurateur, you must have passion and creativity. You can’t get into the business if it’s only about making money. Ever since 2004, Toker has impressed clients with his creativity when he owned popular restaurants like Turkish Delight in Halifax, and Troy out in Wolfville.
Over the years, his customers have told him they wished he’d open a restaurant in downtown Halifax so they can eat his food more often. On November 6, Toker made those wishes come true with the grand opening of Smyrna Restaurant, located at 1569 Dresden Row. The restaurant, which serves a variety of cuisine, including Greek and Turkish, has five employees. Toker, himself, is the head chef for Smyrna
“As entrepreneurs, we are still working hard to create jobs and create a culinary scene for Halifax. I felt appreciated by (the attendees). It warms your heart in these hard times,” Toker said of the grand opening.
Toker knew that he was taking a big risk opening a new restaurant in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic. But he couldn’t turn down a good location in downtown Halifax that came with a charcoal grill to cook with. After renovating a preparing for the past two months, Toker was readying to own and operate his fifth restaurant.
“The setup was very suitable for me. I don’t have to build a new charcoal grill and I don’t have too much expense on it,” said Toker.
“I said I’m going to do this because I’m not just going to sit down and wait for Covid to pass. I think there is still potential here, and people like my food.”
Toker’s passion for cooking began when he was a young man living in Turkey. When he was a student there, he lived and worked at his uncle’s luxurious resort hotel. It was here that he would learn from the hotel kitchen staff.
“When I was in university, my uncle used to have a four-star hotel in Turkey, and I used to work in the kitchen there during the summers. I learned a lot there from the chefs and everybody. But it was all just fun for me,” he recalled.
Toker came to Halifax in 2002 to study at Saint Mary’s University. He quickly fell in love with the city. Over the years, he would have brief stints living in Canada’s major cities, such as Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa. But none of those places compared to life in Halifax.
“No place is so welcoming as much as Halifax,” proclaims Toker. “It was more easing going. I find Nova Scotia has great potential. It’s a beautiful province and, in the coming years, I think it’s going to be the most important place in Canada.”
“Now people are starting to understand what I saw years ago.”
In 2004, the young restauranteur became part owner of Turkish Delight. Years later he would sell his shares in the restaurant. In one of his latest ventures, Toker opened Yes, Chef just last year, but he quickly transferred the restaurant to new ownership.
In the gap years where Toker didn’t own a restaurant, he worked for other people as a chef. As much as he enjoys cooking food, he always felt his creativity was stifled while working for others. That’s why it’s in Toker’s blood to be his own boss.
“When you own a restaurant, it’s 24 hours. It’s even in your dreams, in your head, every second you think about it,” he said. “But when you work for somebody, you can never do whatever you like. I look at cooking more artistically.”