Talented husband-wife chef duos are a special dynamic and business-life partnership common across the restaurant industry. In San Francisco alone, powerhouse couples run some of the best small restaurant groups in the city, like Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski (State Bird Provisions, The Progress, Anchovy Bar), Michael and Lindsay Tusk (Quince, Verjus, Cotogna), Evan and Sarah Rich (Rich Table, RT Rotisserie, RT Bistro), to name but a few with three restaurants each.
One of the most beautiful international partnerships: Mexican-Turkish chefs Laura and Sayat Ozyilmaz opened their second restaurant on March 3, 2026. Maria Isabel represents Laura’s roots in Mexico (born in Guerrero, grew up in Mexico City), just as their first restaurant Dalida showcases Sayat’s Istanbul upbringing.
Combining the names of Laura’s sister and mother respectively, Maria Isabel is personal, nurturing and forward-thinking, just as the Ozyilmaz’ cooking is in Dalida, which is better-than-ever as each year progresses. Opening in the old school space that held longtime Chinese favorite Ella’s, the space is utterly transformed, designed by Jenne Wicht of JAK W. Maria is tributed in the soft pinks, leather and natural oak of the North Dining Room; Isabel in the darker, lush dark greens and browns of the South Dining Room. I’m particularly heartwarmed by Emily Parkinson’s birds and plant life mural linking the two rooms at the entrance (she also painted the murals and wallpaper prints at Dalida, highlighting the glories of the Presidio).
Read the rest on Substack: Mole and Maiz: A New Modern Mexican Restaurant Worth Raves, Maria Isabel