My name is Selim Levant. I'm the owner and the manager of the company Levant & Co.

It's a Turkish delicatessen in Paris.

I'm actually a mechanical engineer by training.

I worked as an engineer for ten years before I decided to set up my own business and follow my dreams.

The original idea was to sell our own family-produced olive oil.

And so we set up the "Les Huiles du Levant" brand.

It was a tiny "start-up" beginning to develop.

People wanted somewhere they could actually come to and shop.

And so, with very little funding, we decided to open up a little shop designed around the idea of a household kitchen.

The kitchen is a place of warmth and relaxation.

We designed the shop with this in mind.

As soon as a customer walks in, they step into another world like going into their own home.

After 7 in the evening, our shop becomes a real kitchen, and give real cookery lessons.

Like our olive oil, this has become a flagship product and it goes well with our the traditional Turkish sense of hospitality and welcome.

Before starting each cooking workshop I hold a little olive oil tasting session.

Once we start cooking my wife shows off her grandmother's recipes that she learnt when she was little.

Everyone prepares a dish, and then we sit down to eat.

the place becomes a real home from home, with a friendly atmosphere of sharing and tasting.

It truly is very relaxing.

At the end of each session, Idylle sings a few Turkish songs.

We really try and bring everyone together.

This is a very important part of our business concept.

It's our little contribution to Parisian life.

IKEA BUSINESS