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March 17, 2025
Shangri La Museum Announces First Culinary Artist-in-Residence
The Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture & Design proudly announces Chef Ahu Hettema of Istanbul Hawai‘i as its first Culinary Artist-in-Residence. Over the next six months, she will participate in panels, convenings and community activations that showcase her artistry and highlight resilience through storytelling. This inaugural residency aligns with the Doris Duke Foundation’s mission to foster a more creative, equitable, and sustainable future through the arts, environmental conservation, and cross-cultural understanding.
Inspired by her upbringing in Anatolia, Turkey, and by her mother, Chef Nili Yildrim’s healing home-cooked meals, Chef Ahu was driven to create nourishing dishes for the Hawai‘i community. She and her family began their culinary journey in the islands at local farmers’ markets before opening Istanbul Hawai‘i in Kaka‘ako during the pandemic.
“The Doris Duke Foundation recognizes the importance of providing artists the time needed for creative exploration and expanding their artistic practices,” said Ben Weitz, executive director of Shangri La. “Shangri La is thrilled to have Chef Ahu serve as our inaugural Culinary Artist-in-Residence, inspiring programming that explores the intrinsic connections between food, creativity, culture, and sustainability in Hawai‘i and beyond.” Through this residency, we hope to spark meaningful conversations about how food shapes cultural storytelling, builds resilience, and fosters community.”
“For me, food satiates more than appetite. It has healed homesickness and fueled my passion for creating and bringing people together,” said Ahu Hettema, executive chef and owner of Istanbul Hawai‘i. “First and foremost, I am an artist, and I am grateful to Shangri La for extending this opportunity to share my skills and love for my craft with a wider network.”
The residency launches on March 15 with Rebirth, Resilience & Resistance, a Hawai‘i Triennial 2025 panel honoring Women’s History Month. Chef Ahu will be featured alongside Kumu Hula, activist and Shangri La Native Hawaiian Cultural Adviser Vicky Holt Takamine, as well as conservationist and artist Melissa Chimera. The panel will be moderated by Maurine Knighton, Chief Program Officer of the Doris Duke Foundation.
On March 22, Chef Ahu will curate a special menu for Shangri La’s Spring Equinox Celebration at Capitol Modern, featuring a selection of Turkish dishes. This free public event will take place from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Chef Ahu’s residency will continue with events designed to elevate awareness around sustainability, cultural identity, rebirth, and purpose, inspiring actionable change. For more information visit www.shangrilahawaii.org/visit/events
ABOUT INSTANBUL HAWAI'I
Founded by mother-and-daughter duo Ahu and Nili Hettema in 2020, Istanbul Hawaii is one of the only Turkish and Mediterranean restaurants in the state of Hawai‘i that effortlessly combines traditional flavors and heritages. After more than 10 years living in the U.S. away from family, Ahu was longing to return to Turkey, but immigration issues got in the way. Years of fighting for her rights to fulfill a life in the States that she had always dreamed of, Ahu began to struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety and homesickness. Ahu turned to her mother who came to live with Ahu on Oʻahu and brought Turkish ingredients and spices that Ahu was unable to access for years due to her inability to travel back to Turkey. The mother-daughter bond brought Istanbul Hawaiʻi to life, and the more Ahu and her mother cooked together, the more Ahu healed. In 2015, the Hettema’s started selling food at the farmers markets of their adopted island home, Oahu. Immersed in the fresh ingredients of Hawai‘i, they experimented with blending traditional Ottoman dishes with the flavors of the islands, creating a unique blend of cultures. For the mother-daughter duo now, Istanbul Hawaiʻi is a way of bringing their home country to Hawai‘i, connecting two places on opposite ends of the world through flavors, culinary traditions, and local and exotic ingredients.
ABOUT SHANGRI LA
Itself a work of art, Shangri La is a center of the Doris Duke Foundation that convenes conversations of local and global significance through its residencies, exhibitions and community programs. Shangri La’s approach to art reflects the organization’s commitment to building a more creative, equitable and sustainable future as ongoing active engagements represented in all that we do. For more information, visit www.shangrilahawaii.org or @hi_shangrila on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.