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Buchanan Native Opens Turkish Restaurant In Peekskill

PEEKSKILL, N.Y. -- A new restaurant in Peekskill is hoping to open a whole new world for nearby residents.

Steven Cebel and Tana McGuire, owners of Selver's Kitchen.

Steven Cebel and Tana McGuire, owners of Selver's Kitchen.

Photo Credit: Sam Barron
A plate of Turkish food at Selver's Kitchen.

A plate of Turkish food at Selver's Kitchen.

Photo Credit: Sam Barron

Selver's Kitchen is set to open soon in the city at 362 Washington St. in Peekskill, offering Turkish and Mediterranean cuisine. 

The restaurant is run by Tana McGuire, a Buchanan native and Yorktown resident and Steven Cebel, a native of Turkey who emigrated from the country in 1982. The husband and wife team are hoping residents are ready to expand their food palate. The restaurant is named in honor of Cebel's mother.

"We're filling a void here," McGuire said. "We want to bring Turkey here and give people the experience of eating in a Turkish restaurant."

McGuire, whose husband is Turkish, said that Turkey all revolves around food. When you go out to eat in Turkey, you can expect to be eating for a couple of hours. At one restaurant, McGuire was giving a blanket.

"You won't be pushed out of our restaurant," McGuire said. "We want to give you that experience."

Turkish food involves "cleaner" eating, McGuire said. There are not a lot of fried foods and the food is generally healthier and filled with various spices.

McGuire has extensive restaurant experience having previously owned the Tuscan Grille in Briarcliff and McGuire's in Cold Spring.

"I've spent 26 years behind the bar," McGuire said. "We had an opportunity for this place and we want to put our roots down. We want people to be able to enjoy some home cooking without getting a bill that's bigger than their mortgage."

Menu highlights include lamb soulvaki, baba ganoush and manti. All bread is made in-house from a Turkish baker. And for those who still are on the fence about the new cuisine, Selver's is offering Moroccan wings.

McGuire said she has fond memories of her visits to Istanbul, from belly dancing to visiting the Cistern to playing lots of backgammon.

"It's the beginning of civilization," McGuire said.

Selver's has also received the support of the Peekskill restaurant community ahead of its opening.

"You can come to Peekskill and have almost anything," McGuire said. "We all want each other to succeed. If one restaurant fails, we all fail. Those customers might not come back to Peekskill."

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