Alpturk proudly looks into the order window. Alpturk is dedicated to controlling the oven fire, introducing the dough and deciding when it should come out. He is between 19 and 21 years old. His girlfriend died of cancer or an illness that they could not determine. Since then, he cannot stop shaking. He smokes a lot and is a strong boy. Last year he served his mandatory military service and fights in kickboxing gyms. He dreams of rejoining the army and getting away from the oven. This photo was taken on December 31st in Gaziantep (Turkey). The oven is fired with firewood and stays hot throughout the day. Food is placed next to it and cooking begins. When they are ready they are removed and left to cool on the wood. For one Turkish lira, you can take your tray with food and they cook it.
The radio transmits a request while Yusuf looks at his brother. He has not been to school but handles lower value accounts and processes orders. He looks at his brothers with pride. To Alpturk because he is strong, he fights and defends the family. He admires Mehmet because he is the only one who has travelled abroad and he is the one who prepares the special dishes and traditional recipes in the oven. This photo was taken on December 31st in Gaziantep (Turkey). He is dedicated to serving and collecting customers from the window. Receive orders from nearby restaurants by radio. It also cleans and prepares the orders, removing the excess flour from the products and packing them. The city's ovens are connected by a local radio system to process orders. With this method, the ovens work with the demand in real-time and the activity goes from frenzied peaks to quieter periods of time. With a shrill sound and a distorted voice, the oven goes to work when a restaurant requests bread.
Gocken's hands full of flour as he prepares bread. Flour is the life of the oven. Handling it, making the mixture and preparing it is an art in a city where the consumption of bread is crazy. Mehmet and Gocken are in charge of preparing the dough for baking in the oven. They make all kinds of flour-based products like lahmacun, börek, bread, pide, or katmer. It is a fundamental step in the process and the little ones usually do not do it. Their faces are young boys but their hands say otherwise. This photo was taken on December 31st in Gaziantep (Turkey).
Mehmet prepares bread with Gocken. Mehmet is the eldest son. He is 26 years old and is in charge of controlling the oven. His father is older and suffers from a leg problem that makes him walk on a crutch and sit most of the day in the oven door. He has been working in the oven since he was 5 years old and is the example of his brothers. He went to Masterchef representing Turkey and was in Germany for a time. He is an artist with flour and is a renowned baker. He always talks about his experience in Europe and hands you his cell phone full of flour so you can see the Tik Tok videos he makes. This photo was taken on December 31st in Gaziantep (Turkey).
Gocken prepares to make more bread while waiting for the dough. Gocken is under 19 because he has not yet completed the military service. Together with Mehmet, he is in charge of preparing the dough and the recipes to be put in the oven. He talks little and remains calm most of the time but never stops working. His hands are hardened from the daily work in the marble. He's always covered in flour. This photo was taken on December 31st in Gaziantep (Turkey).
The fire crackles as Alpturk removes the shovel from the oven. As the day passes more bread is cooked in the oven. The interior temperature is high despite the cold winter. Alpturk is shedding layers of clothing as the hours go by working. He has a broken nose and a couple of teeth from the blows. His arms are full of burns but he is a strong boy and the years of fighting have given him a vigorous constitution. This photo was taken on December 31st in Gaziantep (Turkey).
Yusuf looks out the window to serve a customer. Although it is younger, the height of the oven always makes it above the customer Yusuf is the first person you see in the oven. A boy who fights with everyone to sell bread and who always looks into the eyes of people older than him. That window is his reality for 12 hours a day. At the end of the day, the family van driven by his uncle picks them up and takes them home This photo was taken on December 31st in Gaziantep (Turkey).
Mustafa returns from delivering an order through the street of the oven Mustafa is the smallest of all. He is in charge of preparing the mixture of flour, water, yeast and salt together with Gocken. He is too young to realize that in another country his life would be completely different. She is responsible for delivering orders to nearby restaurants or houses that request it and buying the ingredients that Mehmet requests for specific meals. This photo was taken on December 31st in Gaziantep (Turkey).
Yusuf dances to the rhythm of the music on his cell phone. he loves to put "Bella Ciao". Yusuf is at the window so he is always warm to avoid the cold that enters. His work tools are the wrapping paper, and the broom to clean the remains of flour. He does it at an astonishing speed as he talks and laughs. When he can, he takes a quick look at the phone and his friends visit him throughout the day. This photo was taken on December 31st in Gaziantep (Turkey).
The photo shows the box for coins that Yusuf constantly has to his left. Money and flour sum up the day of the oven. Money that his father and uncle manage and that they earn with their effort. This photo was taken on December 31st in Gaziantep (Turkey).
