Sermet’s Courtyard, a Daniel Island mainstay, closes

For 15 years, diners at Sermet’s Courtyard on Daniel Island were greeted by the aromas of Mediterranean cuisine and dozens of abstract paintings – some dreamlike, some fragmented, all bursting with color.

 

Simply signed “Sermet,” the artworks weren’t created by a hired artist but by the chef himself, Sermet Aslan.

 

Now, with the restaurant’s Aug. 20 closure, an era ends on Daniel Island’s dining scene, and a new chapter begins for Aslan, who is leaving the restaurant industry to focus fully on his art.

 

“I have had the urge to create for as long as I can remember,” Aslan said. “My work has become more refined and focused as I grow older. They both have colorful expressions – one on the plate and the other on canvas.”

 

In the kitchen, Aslan plated dishes like works of art. Along his restaurant’s walls, his bold, abstract paintings brought that same creative energy to the dining room.

 

The self-taught painter’s style is hard to pin down: Picasso-like faces, nature scenes both real and imagined, and visionary images flung across canvas in a meditative rush. His work has been featured in group exhibitions at the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland, including Healing and the Art of Compassion and The Big Hope Show, and also in Raw Vision, an international magazine dedicated to outsider art.

 

Locally, his paintings rotated on the walls of his restaurant – for purchase, not just for show – and are also on display at Salon UnHwa, his daughter Ceylan Aslan’s hair salon on the island.

 

“I think rotating artworks on the wall gives customers a sense of freshness, almost like coming to a new restaurant every few weeks,” Aslan said. “A restaurant provides time to view and have a dialogue with the painting.”

 

Aslan’s journey to becoming a chef and artist began in Amasya, Türkiye – the country’s and Aslan’s preferred spelling of Turkey – a mountain town rich with gardens and rivers that inspire his paintings. A linguist in Turkey, he arrived in the United States in 1986 and started washing dishes at his brother-in-law’s restaurant.

 

“I liked the social atmosphere in the dining room right away,” he said. “People unpack their problems and enjoy themselves. This evolved into my own restaurant, which became my own gallery.”

 

Over decades, Aslan became a Charleston dining fixture, opening beloved spots like Sermet’s Grill, Sermet’s Corner, and finally Sermet’s Courtyard. His Mediterranean-inspired menus blend Turkish heritage with global flavors, earning loyal patrons who became art collectors.

 

“Painting and cooking both have visual aspects,” he said. “You eat with your eyes first. My second-grade teacher told me once, ‘When you draw a chimney, make sure you smell the smoke.’ Sights and smells go hand in hand.”

 

Now, feeling the time is right, Aslan is stepping away. “I decided to retire from the restaurant industry and focus on my art full time,” he said. “Daniel Island has been a big part of my life. Many of my customers have become friends, and many of their children started their first job with me.”

 

He’s passing the River Landing Drive location to Nick and Kelly Ruhotina, who will open Vinea Courtyard Kitchen in September, a Mediterranean-inspired concept that will continue displaying Aslan’s artwork.

 

As for what comes next, Aslan plans to “take a few months off, socially unplug,” and work on a book combining his recipes and art, and perhaps, start a meditation group, drawing from his 35 years of studying Tibetan Buddhism and Sufism.

 

“When a mountain climber reaches the summit, he or she sees for the rest of humanity,” Aslan reflected. “When I paint, I like to show my point of view to the audience. My works are subjective and deeply meditative. I hope to ignite a different way of looking at life.”

 

And for anyone missing Aslan’s presence on Daniel Island? He won’t be far. “I’m sure they will see me around when I come to visit my daughter at the salon,” he said with a smile.