Ali Sahin

East Village, Manhattan

Ali Sahin opened his cafe, C&B, nine years ago on 7th Street between Avenue A and B. An obviously prime location, he also serves some of the best breakfast sandwiches in town (as well as a few Turkish favorites.) During COVID, Ali opted to forgo any indoor dining, making room for a full bakery in its stead. Now you can find the team in the back, baking an assortment of fresh bread and pastries, while cracking each other up along the way. C&B has become increasingly popular throughout the years, as is deserves, but the spot still holds on to the sense of community it has created as well.

Full name, age, where are you from?

My name is Ali Sahin. I am from Turkey.

What is your title and where do you work? 

 I work at and own C&B on E 7th Street between Avenue B and A. Currently, I bake there 4 days a week while managing the place. I am also responsible for payroll, bookkeeping, inventory, ordering, etc. Previously I worked on the line and made coffee if it’s needed.

Was food a big part of your upbringing?

I was lucky enough to grow up with the best cook I know, my mom. My mom cooked every meal at home. She cooked all sorts of traditional Turkish/Kurdish foods. I helped her prep sometimes. She would give me some simple tasks like cleaning the snap peas or closing the tiny Turkish dumplings she made. She made everything in the house including giant batches of pickles, bread, pastries even tomato and pepper paste, jams, yogurt etc. Growing up eating the great food my mom made me made my life slightly harder as a kid and a teenager. When I ate out or ate at a friend’s house I could never finish the food because it didn’t taste as good as my mom’s food. So yes food was a very important part of my life growing up.

What are your earliest memories of dining out?

My mom didn’t want us (I have 2 sisters) to eat out. She always said “I have no idea what kind of ingredients goes inside those meals so I am not going to let my kids eat it”. In reality, eating at a restaurant was too expensive for a family of 5 and we were poor. Luckily my mom’s food was and still is 10 times better than any restaurant. Occasionally we would eat gyro sandwiches from a place my mom approves. The sandwich was just the meat and some raw onions, and it was cooked on wood fire, not gas. It was an amazing treat and it was absolutely delicious.

If you could give a piece of advice to someone who wanted to pursue your career, what would it be?

Don’t do it :) 
What's your favorite dish on the menu?
 My favorite dish is mushroom sandwich and my favorite pastry is the Kouignn Ammann.

What is your favorite place to go out and eat at and what are you ordering?

My favorite place to go to in nyc is Kafana. At some point I would eat there 4 times a week. Simple, delicious food and very similar to Turkish food I grow up with. Cevapi is the best there, and much better than any version I had in Eastern Europe.
What are your go-to shoes to work in?

I am a Dansko guy. I have been wearing them for 14 years. Hard to break in but once you do they are great for a year. Last couple years I tried some heavy loggers. They worked out ok because I wanted more support on my ankles, but I am back to danskos now.

Is there anything new and exciting coming up for you? 

Nothing really exciting. I am trying to get some of the people working with me since day one (9 years) to get more involved with the cafe’s management and I hope them to move towards ownership.