By Heidi Trautmann

The sad news came in this morning, Ahmet Çavuşoğlu has died from a heart attack very suddenly and we are all shocked to hear it. We have often been guests at his restaurant that was famous for his big dishes of fresh börek. A typical Cypriot house just close to the Ledra Palace Crossing, a favourite place to sit in the shade of trees for both Greek and Turkish Cypriots. The place was frequented by media people, writers and artists, also UN people, and for everyone Ahmet had a good word, always full of interest and humour. We shall miss him.

One of my last visits was on the occasion of my meeting with Elsie Slonim, the 96 year old author of ‘Lemons from Paradise’. Ahmet went out to meet her when she arrived in her red little Mini and helped her in to my table and drove the car to the back of the house.

There is a son of his living in Berlin, I know, and his wife was with him in the restaurant business, also before they opened the HAMUR. Our thoughts are with them.