For a Taste of Persia

DCP Available

The Persian Taste is a compelling 10-minute documentary that celebrates the richness of Persian cuisine. Through the lens of Sally Butcher and her husband Jamshid Ebrahimi, we explore their journey as a married couple operating a business in the heart of Peckham.

This celebratory documentary highlights the significance of heritage, culture, community, and cuisine, while also telling a powerful story of migration and marriage.

  • Ela Yürekli Gorkay
    Director
  • Yzael Sharif
    Producer
  • Jamshid Golshan Ebrahimi
    Key Cast
    "Social Actor "
  • Sally Butcher
    Key Cast
    "Social Actor "
  • Tristan Hellsten
    Editor
  • Minshou Han
    Sound Designer
  • Sunyu Kim
    Director of Photography
  • Danilo Campusano
    Social Media Manager
  • Sunyu Kim
    Title and poster Graphics
  • Sunyu Kim
    Colour Grading
  • Tristan Hellsten
    Colour Grading
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    10 minutes 41 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 2, 2026
  • Production Budget:
    860 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Unversity of the Arts, London
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Available
Director Biography - Ela Yürekli Gorkay

Ela Yürekli-Gorkay is a Turkish-British-American filmmaker based between Oxford and London. Her award-winning short films have screened at international festivals, and her work explores themes of memory, identity, and human connection.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

For a Taste of Persia began with a simple question: what does it mean to build a life together when you come from two very different worlds?

At the heart of the film are Jamshid, a native Iranian, and Sally, a British woman from Essex, whose marriage is lived out on the front line of their restaurant, Persepolis. I aimed to explore the quiet negotiations that happen between them every day.

For example, how decisions about menus, money, décor, and customers become a mirror of their deeper relationship. In the pressure of a small business, we see where they clash, where they compromise, and where they choose each other again.

More importantly, I wanted For a Taste of Persia to trace the emergence of a shared culture between them. Persepolis is not simply an Iranian restaurant in Britain, nor a British take on Persian food; it is the space where Jamshid’s memories of home and Sally’s Essex sensibility meet in the middle. Through their stories of language, faith, family expectations, and humour, the film examines how each has adapted to the other’s world, and how that process has changed them.

This documentary is, ultimately, about the everyday work of love across borders: how two people fold their personal histories, traditions, and identities into a common life, and how a small restaurant on a British high street can become a living testament to that fusion.