Turquoise Grill and Bar

As executive chef, Dokuyucu works in the kitchen, among other things, grilling lamb burgers, dressing plates with vegetables and even baking flatbread in the brick oven he had built.

“In every cuisine, you can only do so wrong if you use fresh ingredients,” he said. “Try to give people a real Mediterranean experience.”

With the weather cooling, he said people will once again fill Turquoise’s outdoor patio. Musicians often play outside during evenings and weekends, he said.

Originally from southern Turkey, Dokuyucu had an engineering background when he moved to the U.S. in 1987 to get his MBA in marketing management. Dokuyucu said he finally realized his long-term dream of opening a restaurant in 2003 on Kirby Drive in Houston.

“I’ve been [in Sugar Land] six years, and I’m doing the best I can to connect with the people,” he said.

Dokuyucu said he has catered for corporate events around the area, although the downturn in oil and gas means less in the way of big company bookings. He also said weekend nights are still busy for the restaurant.

“We’re trying to just give 110 percent to make sure this is a location where people come,” he said. “I want this to be a destination place.”