Ana Sortun's Boston: Where the Oleana Chef and Owner Eats on Days Off

Ana Sortun is the executive chef and owner of Oleana Restaurant and Sofra Bakery in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her cuisine is a mixture of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern ingredients and flavors, and her cooking earned her a James Beard Award for Best Chef: Northeast in 2005.

Today, she continues to innovate, bringing in accolades from all over. (Food critic Mimi Sheraton even called Sortun "one of the best creative fusion practitioners" in the country.) Stop by Oleana on any given day, and you'll discover dishes like fairytale eggplant with carrot labne and hazelnut sauce, quail kebab with barberries, spinach falafel with beet yogurt and cress, and lemon chicken with a Turkish cheese pancake.

We got to sit down with Ana to talk about what she eats when she's not at Oleana, Sofra, or her newest restaurant, Sarma. Here's what she had to say.

Ana's Day-Off Philosophy

"I haven't worked on a Saturday or Sunday in 13 years. I mean, I have, but only in emergencies or if I had special events going on. I have a 13-year-old, so in order to be able to be a parent, it was necessary to put my foot down on that so I could sort of have a little balance.

"When I lived in the city, and before I had my daughter, it was different. Then, when she was born, I stopped working on Saturday and Sunday to be able to spend some regular time. I mean, everybody needs a couple days off, but how 'off' it is is all relative. My husband's an organic-vegetable farmer, so days off now aren't exactly sitting around in my pajamas watching TV. I'm usually up pretty early. I take an early-morning class in the city, and then I drive back out to the farm."

How Sortun Gets the Most Out of Her Days Off

"I would say that what keeps me sane is my Saturday-morning class. It's a special kind of yoga class that's done by a bodyworker, so it's not really the twisty, stereotypical stuff. It's more about the strength and stability, and not the flexibility aspect. It starts at 7:30 a.m., which is kind of early for a Saturday, but I love it so much. It gets me started.

"Usually I spend my days off getting stuff done for the week, whether that’s cooking or doing stuff on the farm—this time of year, it's a lot of work, anyway. There are a couple of animals that we take care of. Then we usually have a meal together in the evening. If I go out, it's usually when I'm in the city during the week.

"We try to keep Sunday pretty open, and keep at least half the day where we aren't doing stuff that we have to do. We can try to spend some time together as a family, whether we're watching a movie or doing something else that’s quality time together."

Ana Sortun’s Favorite Places to Eat in Boston

Uni

"Tony [Messina] is one of the most creative chefs I know. His food is rambunctious, delicious, and whimsical. His Italian roots show up in some pretty special ways on Uni's Asian-inspired menu. For example, his cacio e pepe Asian dumpling is to die for, and I always get fried rice and many pieces of sashimi. If you happen to go to Uni, make sure you get the signature Uni Spoon."

Sycamore

"Sycamore is a neighborhood gem, off the beaten path, that is an institution for good, honest cooking. On the menu, I love the chorizo croquettes and all of the delicious homemade pastas. Chef Dave [Punch] takes great care to use local and top-notch ingredients for his seasonal menu."

The Table at Season to Taste

"This is a small, intimate neighborhood spot on the outskirts of Cambridge. Chef Carl [Dooley] has a French spin on local and seasonal dishes, with a menu that changes seasonally and, in my opinion, represents the true meaning of bistro."

Oleana

"Our mission when we opened Oleana was to broaden people's perception of Mediterranean food and to bring Middle Eastern cuisine into the mainstream—and to cook with spices, and to use local vegetables from our farm. Today, our menu represents all that, plus some signature dishes. A few that you can't miss are the quail kebob with barberry and pistachio, the spinach falafel, and the baked Alaska."

Sofra Bakery & Cafe

"A neighborhood spot at the crossroads of Watertown and Belmont, Sofra is a quick and casual breakfast, lunch, and early-dinner spot with a large selection of meze, flatbreads, and incredible pastries by partner Maura Kilpatrick. My picks for the morning are the Turkish breakfast and the morning bun; for lunch, have the spinach-and-three-cheese gozleme and a meze platter!"

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