By Natalie Lozano Trimble
Photography by Thanin Viriyaki
Fried goat cheese started it all. Chef Burak Ozcan prepared the dish during a cooking test to demonstrate his skills to Jeremy Berlin, the general manager at a Marriott Hotel needing a kitchen lead.
The dish’s details reflect Burak’s upbringing in Turkey and set it apart from typical fried cheese appetizers — it was encrusted with pistachios and served with a pomegranate green olive salad and tahini sauce.
“The flavor profiles he was producing, there was no comparison for me,” Berlin says.
After years of working together for others, the two men now co-own Ferah Tex-Med Kitchen in Southlake, along with their wives, Heidi Berlin, the community relations director, and Stephanie Ozcan, the marketing manager.
“You tend to work on holidays, so getting your family involved is a great way to spend time together,” Stephanie says. Their 4-year-old is eager to help his dad in the kitchen, and Jeremy and Heidi’s daughters also help in different capacities.
Jeremy says having four partners who share ownership works because they each have their lane. They welcome feedback but also trust each other’s expertise.
Jeremy describes Burak as a charmer and a genius in the kitchen, who also excels at developing talent and creating culture. “There’s very few people I would want to put in front of a guest more, or as much as you want him to be,” Jeremy says.
Burak says cooking is in his soul. When he was young, he tried to help his mom in the kitchen, which often led to messes. But later, a middle school teacher suggested he attend a culinary high school two hours from his hometown. That led to Burak’s first professional job as an intern at 14. “I’m still young on the ID but have over 25 years of experience,” he says.
Ferah’s cuisine encompasses dishes from across the Mediterranean, not just Greece or Turkey. But it also infuses Texan touches, like jalapenos in the Ferah 10-Spice Chicken. Many dishes are food-allergy friendly or able to be customized to be vegan or gluten-free.
Burak says that since Texas only has two seasons — hot and cold — their seasonal menu changes in April and September. They offer a brunch buffet on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. instead of their standard menu. They also host monthly wine dinners.
The restaurant is their second brick-and-mortar, opening in 2022 in Southlake Town Square, which followed the 2019 launch of Ferah in Garland. They chose both locations because they are close to home.
Working where they live means they’re serving neighbors, and it motivates their desire to give back locally. Twice a year, they host the Ferah Food Drive, inviting customers to donate non-perishable items, which are passed along to local nonprofits, like GRACE in Grapevine, Stephanie says.
They have also operated a full-service catering company for several years throughout Dallas-Fort Worth, and they opened Ferah Smokehouse and Cantina in Wylie last year.
Burak says they’re not finished growing. He and Jeremy enjoy driving around the Dallas-Fort Worth area in their spare time, scouting future opportunities.
“We’re anxiously waiting to hear what the next big thing is going to be,” Stephanie says.
Ferah Tex-Med Kitchen is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Find the recipe for Ferah Tex-Med Kitchen’s 10-Spice Chicken here.