Our Story
Petek Patisserie Since 1942
The Story of Tevfik Usta, the Pioneer of Pastry Making and Loaf Bread in HatayAt the beginning of the 19th century, Hasan Usta from Çamlıhemşin, who went to Moscow for work, learned pastry making there and opened his own pastry shop. He trained his son, Tevfik Usta, and turned him into a master pastry chef. After losing his father in 1910, Tevfik Usta took over the business and began running it alone. However, during this period, communist movements gained momentum in Moscow. With the uprising of the people and the army, Nicholas II was dethroned, and the Tsarist regime ended. Following the October Revolution, the communist regime came to power. In this politically turbulent environment, Tevfik Usta, with the help of his Russian friends, managed to cross the border into Turkey by farm plane and return. He also brought with him the manat, the currency of the Tsarist era, that he and his father had saved for years. However, since the Soviet regime did not recognize the manat, these savings were no longer worth anything.Master Tevfik decides to live in his village in Çamlıhemşin, Rize. He rolls up his sleeves to complete the unfinished projects in the village. During a time of scarcity, he plants fruit trees, sows corn—a staple food of the Black Sea region—maintains gardens, and revives tea cultivation. He also completes the renovation of his house. The approach now called "zero waste" was actually a part of life back then, given the conditions of the time. Nothing was wasted; everything was utilized.After spending about 5-6 years in his village, Master Tevfik learns that Iran, during the Reza Shah Pahlavi era, was rich and culturally advanced. Since pastry making was still unknown in Turkey, he decides to go to Iran with his savings. There, he opens a pastry shop, and to avoid attracting attention in Iran due to the pressures he had faced as a foreigner in Moscow, he names his shop "Tehran Pastry Shop." The quality of their products quickly gained renown in Tehran, and over time, their products reached the Shah of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, who then began serving his palace. Having spent seven years in Iran, Tevfik Usta, yearning for his homeland, decided to return to Turkey. He sold his pastry shop to an Iranian for a good price. Thanks to his experience in Russia, he converted his money into gold and returned to Turkey. He spent a few years in his village to make up for the longing he felt for his family.By 1939, Hatay had joined Turkey. Wanting to continue his profession, Tevfik Usta was looking for a place to work while away from home. When he mentioned this at a gathering of friends, a friend there said there was a bakery for sale in Iskenderun, Hatay, and asked if he was interested. Tevfik Usta's first question was, "Is Iskenderun a warm place?" because he had been exposed to the harsh cold of Moscow since the age of 14 and had been greatly affected by that climate. Together with a friend at the table, they decided to buy the bakery. They purchased the bakery located on Şehit Pamir Street in Iskenderun and began operating it. At that time, Hatay only had Aleppo bread and tırnaklı pide (a type of flatbread), and Tevfik Usta was the first to bring loaf bread and pastries to the region. Although his profession was pastry making, they operated a bakery from 1939 to 1942 because they had purchased one.On May 19, 1942, he opened the first pastry shop in Hatay with only four tables and 16 chairs, returning to his original profession.Today, this pastry shop continues to be run by the fourth generation as a family tradition. Until the 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquakes, the pastry shop had six branches in Hatay; three of them were destroyed and submerged in the sea, rendering them unusable. Currently, it has branches primarily in Hatay, but also in İzmir, Trabzon, and Osmaniye.
