This article was first published on TurkNetwork magazine on May 1, 2025.
Every Wednesday evening in the fall of 2019, Seçkin Öztürk and Arzu Göçmen would gather in a warm kitchen in San Diego, mixing flour and water, sharing stories of life back home in Turkey, and waiting patiently for their sourdough starters to rise. Initially, the baking was simply therapeutic—two friends finding comfort in dough and yeast—but soon they found themselves baking more bread than their families could eat. “We’d give the extra loaves to our friends,” Seçkin recalls, “but suddenly, our circle started asking us how much they owed. That’s when it became clear we had something special.”
Thus, SD Bakers was born—not in a business meeting but over tea and laughter, in a kitchen scented by sourdough loaves emerging golden-brown from the oven. From traditional Turkish simit and Ramazan pide to experimental takes on challah and crispy crackers, each item carries something distinctive. No commercial yeast is ever used, only three beloved sourdough starters, affectionately named Pakize, Mukaddes, and Kezban. Pakize and Mukaddes traveled carefully from Turkey; Kezban, spirited and bubbly, is local-born, reflecting the vibrant San Diego community they’ve embraced.
It wasn’t long until the SD Bakers discovered their sourdough could do more than satisfy taste buds. When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down traditional fundraising events, they pivoted creatively. Instead of merely requesting donations, Seçkin and Arzu embedded philanthropy into every loaf. In September 2020, they launched “SD Bakers for BTF”, pledging proceeds from each bread sold to the Bridge to Türkiye Fund (BTF), directly supporting Turkish students and families in need.
“We wanted to offer more than a loaf of bread,” says Arzu. “We wanted each loaf to carry hope.” Customers responded enthusiastically, often paying extra without a second thought, knowing their money was making its way into scholarships, and even laptop funds for kids isolated by the pandemic.
By October 2020, SD Bakers had donated their first significant sum to BTF’s Laptops4Kids initiative. Encouraged, the duo soon expanded their efforts. As orders grew, funds increased, and what started as a modest idea blossomed into sustained support. Now, SD Bakers for BTF is able to provide scholarships for 12 to 15 young women every year. They have also been able to contribute directly to the purchase of a prosthetic limb for a child affected by Turkey’s devastating 2023 earthquakes, and funded fifty vital water filters for survivors.
Today, every Thursday around four in the afternoon, their loyal WhatsApp group buzzes with eager anticipation: “Bread’s ready!” Each bake day is a ritual of careful gestures—kneading, waiting, bubbling starters, trays slipping steadily from the oven’s embrace. Customers collect their loaves from either Arzu’s or Seçkin’s house, often lingering to exchange news or simply a warm hello.
The ripples from SD Bakers have inspired others in San Diego’s Turkish-American community. Neighbors now sell homemade hummus at Thanksgiving or freshly prepared Noah’s pudding in autumn—each small project funneling additional support into scholarships and disaster recovery. It’s an organic, neighborly philanthropy, quietly revolutionary in its simplicity: you buy bread, you eat bread, you help someone. Everyone wins.
Late on a recent Thursday evening, the bakery is quiet again, the ovens cooled. Pakize, Mukaddes, and Kezban rest snugly, awaiting their next turn. Seçkin reflects with satisfaction, cleaning the flour dust from her hands. “We started baking for ourselves,” she says, “but somewhere along the way, it became about baking for others.”
In a world that increasingly feels uncertain, perhaps SD Bakers’ greatest triumph is this simple, powerful idea: that even small acts—like baking bread—can foster connection, generosity, and change. Every bite is proof of that gentle transformation.
