North Stars:

Community Support

Heritage Value

Gender Equality

“I try to encourage women, especially immigrant women, to think about how strong they are.”

The Azure Road Take

Hasan Kale lifted my cup and turned it slowly in his hands, studying the patterns left by coffee grounds that had settled like sediment at the bottom. He was quiet for a long moment, his dark and sad eyes moving across the interior surface where dark traces formed shapes I couldn’t begin to interpret.

Then he started talking. He told me things he couldn’t have known about my career as a journalist, about the travel writing projects I was developing, and about the man I loved who was dying. Some of what he said sounded general. But other parts were so specific that I felt the hair on my arms rise.

It wasn’t that I believed he could see the future in coffee grounds. It was that someone had actually paid attention. In 15 minutes, this gentle-faced man had listened more deeply than most people do in a lifetime. 

That’s when I realized the reading wasn’t really about fortune-telling at all. It was about connection, and connection was what this entire place had been built to provide.

That’s the root of what awaits guests at The Turkish Coffee Lady, a cafe in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. Helmed by Gizem Salcigil White, an entrepreneur and philanthropist, this warm and welcoming space is the culmination not just of years of work for White, but centuries of tradition. Turkish coffee houses weren’t just places to drink. They started in Istanbul and became community anchors where philosophy, literature, religion, and government were discussed. That’s what she’s recreating here, a space where people feel welcome regardless of where they’re from, building bridges one conversation at a time.

The Sip

I’d stumbled into the shop an hour earlier, still loose-limbed from yoga down the street. Old Town’s cobblestone streets and 18th-century rowhouses typically house colonial history museums and American taverns, making this slice of Istanbul tucked onto King Street feel like discovering a hidden portal.

Gizem Salcigil White handed me a double-walled cup with evil eye symbols and pistachio buttercream on the rim; a rose-flavored Turkish delight came on the side. The coffee was stronger than anything I’d ever tasted, but not bitter. It was rich, almost chocolatey.

All Turkish coffee is made from 100% Arabica beans, ground finer than espresso into a powder, then brewed slowly on hot sand.

“It’s a whole ritual,” she explained. “You know, smelling the coffee beans and then grinding them and brewing them slowly. It just teaches you patience.”

She’s created custom blends named after Turkey’s heritage sites: bold Istanbul is the traditional blend, while tiny Cappadocia features cardamom. Silky Mardin carries Middle Eastern influences, and pistachio Zeugma offers a decaf option.

“I named my coffees after Turkey’s treasures,” she said. “When the culture is blended with beverage or food, it’s very unique.”

When I mentioned the sludge at the bottom, Gizem’s face lit up.

“That’s for coffee reading. We read the coffee.” That’s when Kale, the business’s creative director, stepped in to work his magic.

Two years ago, a TikToker’s fortune-reading video went viral. Since then, Kale has read thousands of spent coffee grounds for those looking for connection and answers.

“I truly believe that we did help people with some healing spiritually, because they just needed someone to listen,” Gizem said. “It was like coffee therapy.”

Sustainability Chops

Gizem calls herself a gastro diplomat, believing that food brings people together. When culture is combined with cuisine, she says the gap between different people and different beliefs closes.

After her Tysons Corner shop closed during COVID, she launched the Turkish Coffee Lady Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering women entrepreneurs. Five percent of sales from the shop go to the foundation, supporting women’s leadership and mentoring programs. She’s creating something that extends far beyond her shop, empowering other women the way she wishes she’d been empowered.

“I try to encourage women, especially immigrant women, to think about how strong they are,” Gizem says.

Origin Story

Twenty years ago, Gizem came to Boston as a student. Nobody knew about Turkish coffee, so she started organizing “coffee conversations” at the Turkish embassy and community centers. 

“People are really curious about coffee culture. They want to experience it culturally,” she said.

So she built a Turkish coffee truck, quit her embassy job, found sponsors, and started traveling: Baltimore, New York, Boston, Europe, Canada. 

“I distributed thousands of coffee samples. And people just loved it,” she said. “The Washington Post called me the Turkish coffee lady, and that name stuck.”

When she was five months pregnant and working at the World Bank, she realized this was her passion. She opened a shop in Tysons Corner, but one month later, doctors diagnosed her with stage 2 breast cancer. She returned to Turkey for chemotherapy, radiation, and surgeries. Just as she was recovering, COVID-19 hit, and her Tysons Corner shop closed permanently.

Four years ago, she secured a restaurant revival grant and opened this location in Old Town Alexandria. Everyone told her Americans wouldn’t drink Turkish coffee. 

“But four years later, I am going strong. I’m franchising now. I survived the storm, breast cancer, and the pandemic. Nothing could beat me,” Gizem said.

Before I left, we talked about revolution. Not the kind with protests and signs, but the kind that happens quietly, over coffee, between two people who didn’t know each other an hour ago.