A New Chapter in Turkish Dining

There is something undeniably magnetic about the moment a perfectly grilled kebab arrives at the table
— the steam rising from the copper tray, the aroma of charred spices, the vivid colours of a side of
mezze. When MADO, one of the world’s most celebrated Turkish restaurant brands, commissioned a
new round of food photography for its Cairo branch, our task was clear: capture the soul of Turkish
cuisine in every frame. This blog post takes you behind the scenes of that project — the dishes, the
interiors, and the story of a brand that has been feeding the world since 1850.

From Kahramanmara to Cairo — A 170-Year Legacy

MADO’s story begins in Kahramanmara, a city in southern Turkey long celebrated for producing the
world’s most unique ice cream — dondurma. The brand name itself is a portmanteau of Mara (the
city’s former name) and Dondurma (Turkish ice cream). Founded in 1850 by Yaar Kanbur, the
venture started as a humble ice cream shop before evolving into the global restaurant empire it is today.
In 1980, the legacy was formalised under the name Yaar Patisserie, and by 1991, the MADO brand
was officially born — pioneering Turkey’s first domestic franchising system in the food sector.
Today, MADO operates over 300 restaurants and cafés across Turkey, and approximately 100
international branches spanning 22+ countries — from the Netherlands and Germany to Australia,
Canada, South Korea, China, and across the Middle East and North Africa, including Egypt, Saudi
Arabia, UAE, Qatar, and Lebanon. Every branch is anchored by the same promise: authentic Turkish
flavours, passed down through generations, prepared with premium ingredients produced at MADO’s
state-of-the-art facility in Kahramanmara — a plant capable of producing 120 tons of ice cream per
day alongside thousands of trays of baklava, milk desserts, and specialty pastries.

Capturing the Flavours — The Photography Brief

Food photography is as much about storytelling as it is about technical precision. For this project, the
brief called for images that would work across MADO’s digital menus, social media channels, and
marketing materials — content that communicates the warmth of Turkish hospitality while showcasing
the restaurant’s wide-ranging menu. From the colourful array of cold mezze and artisan breads to
slow-roasted lamb shoulder and Turkish pide fresh from the stone oven, every dish demanded a
different approach to light, angle, and composition.

The Menu Through the Lens

MADO Cairo’s menu is a compelling bridge between authentic Anatolian tradition and Middle Eastern
sensibility — a natural fit for Egypt’s cosmopolitan food scene. The cold mezze section alone spans
over a dozen preparations: classic hummus, vivid pink beetroot labneh, slow-roasted mutabbal, fresh
muhammara, and fattoush-style tabbouleh served in gem lettuce cups. These dishes are as photogenic
as they are delicious, and capturing them as a grand flatlay — scattered across a weathered board with
scattered chickpeas and pomegranate seeds — made for one of the project’s standout images.
The grills section was the most challenging and the most rewarding to shoot. The Mix Grill for Two —
served on an elevated copper platter — required careful attention to reflections and highlights. The Ali
Nazek, a beloved Turkish classic of slow-cooked lamb pieces resting on smoked aubergine purée and
served with freshly baked pide, was captured mid-reveal, with the ornate copper lid placed to one side
— a compositional choice that communicates theatre and indulgence simultaneously.

A Turkish Breakfast Worth Waking Up For

One of MADO Cairo’s distinguishing strengths is its breakfast offering — a category that deserves its
own dedicated photography session. The full Sini Breakfast is an elaborate spread: scrambled eggs
with peppers, a selection of premium cheeses, olives, seasonal fruits, honey, cream, borek, and a
basket of freshly baked simits and rolls — all anchored by the signature MADO menemen (a rich
Turkish egg and vegetable scramble). Shooting breakfast requires a lighter, airier aesthetic compared to
the dramatic, high-contrast look suited to grills, and the natural light pouring through the café windows
made this section a pleasure to photograph.

The Sweet Finish — MADO’s Legendary Dondurma

No food photography project at MADO would be complete without paying tribute to the brand’s founding
icon: Turkish dondurma. Crafted from fresh goat’s milk, aromatic salep from wild orchid roots, and
mastic resin, MADO’s ice cream is unlike anything else in the world — elastic, chewy, and intensely
flavoured. The Kahramanmara ice cream tradition stretches back over 300 years, and at MADO’s
dedicated dondurma counter in Cairo, it continues to delight every guest who walks through the door.
Photographing the counter — the gleaming teal cabinetry, the rows of handcrafted flavours, the
antique-style brass lamps overhead — was itself a visual feast.

Final thoughts

Food photography in Egypt is entering an exciting new era — as international restaurant brands like
MADO bring world-class culinary traditions to Cairo, the visual language used to represent them must
match that ambition. This project was an opportunity to do exactly that: to craft imagery that is worthy of
a 170-year legacy, that communicates genuine craftsmanship and warmth, and that invites every viewer
to pull up a chair and stay awhile. Whether you are a long-time fan of Turkish cuisine or discovering
MADO for the first time in Egypt, we hope these images inspire you to experience the restaurant in
person. Because some flavours — like the pull of freshly stretched dondurma — truly have to be lived.