{"id":581616,"date":"2026-08-03T10:56:16","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T10:56:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/581616\/"},"modified":"2026-08-03T10:56:16","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T10:56:16","slug":"friends-who-met-while-working-at-apple-open-new-restaurant-in-cork","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/581616\/","title":{"rendered":"Friends who met while working at Apple open new restaurant in Cork\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ali Fincan and Halit Aker have plenty in common. Hailing from the same part of Turkey, they both moved to Cork and have become great friends.<\/p>\n

Now they have set up in business together after opening Lumi, a breakfast, brunch, and lunch venue in a flowery, charming lane in Townspark, Midleton.<\/p>\n

The duo are now soulmates and workmates – \u201cwe are the best of friends!\u201d says Ali.<\/p>\n

Their friendship and business is not all they have in common – both men also did their Masters when they moved to Cork initially to work at Apple, and both are raising young families with their wives near Glanmire.<\/p>\n

The opening of Lumi is the icing on the cake.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur first week open was just magical,\u201d says Ali, who is delighted to see people out early when I visit, basking in the sunshine, and perusing the Morning Light Breakfast menu.<\/p>\n

\n \u201cWe got a great welcome here from our neighbours along the street, and a great reaction from our customers also.\n <\/p>\n

\u201cAlready, our customers are coming back again and again to sample more food from our menu. It\u2019s all good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Apart from a Turkish flavour or two on offer, like Turkish eggs, the Philippine\/American chef, Pierre, is adding some bite to the extensive menu.<\/p>\n

\u201cPierre is a fan of Jim Cowley\u2019s top-class cuts of meat,\u201d says Ali. He is also a fan of locally sourced fresh produce.<\/p>\n

His \u2018Butcher\u2019, slow braised beef served with two East Ferry free-range poached eggs, wilted spinach, and home-made brown butter hollandaise, finished with crispy onions, chives and micro-herbs, will set you up for the day.<\/p>\n

You can also enjoy a cold beer, a crisp wine, or a locally crafted cider with your meal.<\/p>\n

What are Turkish eggs?<\/p>\n

\u201cSoftly poached eggs served over garlicky Greek yogurt, then drizzled with warm smoky chilli-spiced butter,\u201d explains Ali, describing the chef\u2019s pi\u00e9ce de resistance.<\/p>\n

\"ATAT YOUR SERVICE: Halit Aker inside Lumi Caf\u00e9 in Midleton.\tPicture: Chani Anderson<\/p>\n

The ladies sitting in the sunshine beside me are tucking into a Garden Plate and Breakfast Bap.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am gluten-free,\u201d says Eileen. \u201cOften, it can be tricky to find any varied options for breakfast apart from the usual, full-Irish, porridge, scrambled eggs, for instance. Breakfast is very \u2018samey\u2019 in most places.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a fabulous spot, offering loads of variety and different flavours.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her companion, Brenda, agrees. Things are sunny-side up under the candy-striped canopy shielding the midday sun.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s so refreshing to see every taste catered for on the Lumi menu. This is a great addition to Midleton,\u201d adds Brenda.<\/p>\n

And friends Ali and Halit are a great addition to Midleton.<\/p>\n

\u201cI came here to Ireland eight years ago to study,\u201d says Ali, from Istanbul. \u201cI did my Masters in international business management in Trinity College Dublin.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I graduated, I was offered a job with Apple in Cork. Apple was the place to be and I found Cork to be way better for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

How?<\/p>\n

\u201cIstanbul\u2019s population is approximately 15.8 million residents,\u201d says Ali. \u201cI like peaceful, quieter places better.<\/p>\n

\n \u201cDublin life is very fast-paced. It a is more cosmopolitan city. In Cork, people are friendly. They make you feel like a local!\u201d\n <\/p>\n

Has he copped the Cork lingo and slang?<\/p>\n

\u201cI am speaking the slang now!\u201d says Ali laughing.<\/p>\n

Just like a local?<\/p>\n

\u201cJust like a local,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Even though Ali and Halit are both from the same place in Turkey, their paths didn\u2019t cross until they met at Apple in Cork.<\/p>\n

\u201cHalit studied business and operations analytics in MTU,\u201d says Ali. \u201cWe met at work at Apple and became friends, discovering we are both from the same place.\u201d<\/p>\n

They both harboured the same ambition. To alleviate the humdrum of a nine-to-five job and look to mentally reset and reboot with a change of lifestyle.<\/p>\n

\"HalitHalit Aker is pictured inside Lumi Caf\u00e9, the new caf\u00e9 in Townspark, Midleton. Picture: Chani Anderson<\/p>\n

\u201cI worked eight-hour shifts day in, day out,\u201d says Ali. \u201cWhen I got home after work, I was always mentally tired. I didn\u2019t feel fresh in any way. I decided to quit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Halit decided to quit too.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis father-in-law owned a very famous bakery\/deli back home,\u201d says Ali. \u201cHalit had often worked there in his summer holidays, and he had experience working in restaurants.<\/p>\n

\n \u201cWe decided to quit our jobs in Apple and opened a small caf\u00e9 in Ballyphehane, Tory\u2019s Caf\u00e9, doing breakfast and lunch. It was a great success.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

Tory\u2019s proved so popular with Corkonians that the two friends decided to branch out and open a similar, more ambitious outlet in Midleton.<\/p>\n

\u201cHalit was on the look-out for another place,\u201d says Ali. \u201cBy now we both had a baby each and we had a business together!\u201d<\/p>\n

The logistics had to be balanced then?<\/p>\n

\u201cWe work very well together,\u201d says Ali. \u201cOur wives are very supportive.\u201d<\/p>\n

They all went for dinner in Midleton before the business moved there.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe came here for dinner when it was Roastie\u2019s,\u201d says Ali. \u201cThe vibe felt good, the atmosphere was nice. Midleton is nice. My daughter, Alice, avails of childcare here in Midleton. There was an opportunity for us to lease the premises. Then we did!<\/p>\n

\u201cWe never expected so many people to come here to eat the first days we opened,\u201d says Ali. \u201cWe were so excited, the first day was really busy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ATAT YOUR SERVICE: Halit Aker inside Lumi Caf\u00e9 in Midleton.\tPicture: Chani Anderson<\/p>\n

Not a mundane nine-to five day?<\/p>\n

\u201cAbsolutely not!\u201d says Ali. \u201cEach day is like a celebration. People are drinking coffee and beer outside in the sunshine. The fitness people are coming after class, or from a run for their protein breakfast. They say we have brought a new dimension to Midleton.\u201d<\/p>\n

How many staff work in this vibrant, lively, full-of beans caf\u00e9?<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are four staff in the kitchen and nine staff employed all together,\u201d says Ali. \u201cHalit and I both have good management skills. We all got off to a good start. Things can only get better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Halit agrees.<\/p>\n

\u201cI came to Cork with my wife, who is an engineer, to language school,\u201d he says. \u201cThen I went on to study at MTU. I had a good job in Apple but the work could be boring and repetitive.<\/p>\n

\"AliAli Fincan is pictured beside a wall of historic photographs celebrating Midleton\u2019s past inside Lumi Caf\u00e9 in Townspark, Midleton. Picture: Chani Anderson<\/p>\n

\u201cHere, the variety is great and every day is different. Meeting new people and making new friends every day is very rewarding.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeeing people smile is rewarding. When they go away happy and then come back happy, it is fantastic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Halit speaks the lingo too.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter nine years, I know the Cork slang well,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cAli and I, we live parallel lives. Now our working lives are parallel too. We are enjoying the whole experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ali goes about his work joyously, humming a tune as he meets and greets eager diners and asks, \u2018how are you today?\u2019<\/p>\n

What is the familiar tune he is humming? It\u2019s definitely not \u2018nine to five\u2019!<\/p>\n

Lumi, Townspark, Midleton. Open for breakfast, brunch, and dinner, Wednesday to Saturday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ali Fincan and Halit Aker have plenty in common. Hailing from the same part of Turkey, they both…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":581617,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[72,105971,43164,61,60],"class_list":["post-581616","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-business","tag-cork-food","tag-east-cork","tag-ie","tag-ireland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581616","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=581616"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581616\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/581617"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=581616"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=581616"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=581616"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}