Our Chef Uzgur Özkan
With my own words . . .
I was born in September 1979 on a sunny day in Exkisehir. After having studied Hotel Management at Anadolu University and Culinary Arts at Kocaeli University, I worked as a chef for various hotels and restaurants. Because of my passion for the sea, I worked as a chef on large cruise ships, which helped me gain experience in working on private mega yachts. This was the most fulfilling experience I have ever had. Think about it; you are out in the Caribbean and you can have three guests order lahmacun, sushi and chateaubriand, separately. You are on a boat and you do not have the opportunity to go to the grocery store or the town for shopping. This taught me how to make the best out of what I had to prepare a very delicious dish and serve it.
And the reason why my Ozgur Sef TV show, which I started in 2006, achieved such a success was this philosophy of “MAKE THE BEST OF WHAT YOU HAVE’ that I have just mentioned. Especially, the housewives’ favorite “MAKE THE BEST OF WHAT’S IN THE FRIDGE’ became a practical mindset and established a platform for friendly dialogue.
When we fast-forward to 2010, I opened my first Ozgur Sef restaurant in Bebek, Istanbul. Then, I branched out to Atasehir and Kalamis in 2011 and 2014 respectively. Moreover, in 2014, I launched a franchise by creating the Deli Kasap brand. In 2017, I opened a branch in Baku Azerbaijan. Finally in 2019 I came up with a different project and started serving in Kurtkoy, in a ‘WEIGH YOUR MEAT, AND HAVE IT COOKED ND EAT IT’ style.
By the way, I am married and I have three beautiful daughters.