The Story of a Turkish Chef
Being a chef is kind of like a family tradition for us
I’ve been in the business since I was fifteen. I spent my childhood in Adana and my father was also a chef. Being a chef is kind of like a family tradition for us. I started at a very young age as an apprentice to my father. Later on we moved to Istanbul and we started working in bigger restaurants. My father retired years ago, but I am still a chef. I work in a traditional Turkish restaurant in Bakırköy, Istanbul. Adana’s cuisine mainly has meat and kebab dishes, but we also serve different dishes from the Istanbul cuisine. Of course we still give the utmost importance to the cooking styles of my hometown.
Adana is also a big country but when we first came to Istanbul I had trouble adjusting to the crowds. We worked in a little restaurant and we knew and chatted with almost every customer. However in Istanbul, we see a different face every day and we also get a lot of tourists. Even though I’ve been here for a long time now, I can’t say that I’m completely used to it.
Even though Istanbul is crowded we can have picnics and barbecues just like we did in Adana. As soon as it’s spring, my wife, kids and I go to the Belgrad Forests or to Polonezköy for a picnic. My brother also lives in Istanbul and he knows how to play the “bağlama” really well. Sometimes he joins us and we have a good day in the forest with music and food.
I am really happy to live in Istanbul because there are opportunities of every kind in the city.