Hüseyin Özer (born 1949 in Reşadiye,

Tokat Province Tokat Province () is a province in northern Turkey. Its area is 10,042 km2, and its population is 596,454 (2022). Its adjacent provinces are Amasya to the northwest, Yozgat to the southwest, Sivas to the southeast, and Ordu to the northeast. ...

, Turkey) is a Turkish British

executive chef A chef de cuisine (, French language, French for ''head of kitchen'') or head chef is a chef that Supervisor, leads a kitchen and its cooks. A chef patron (feminine form ''chef patronne'') (French for ''boss chef'') or executive chef is a chef ...

and

restaurateur A restaurateur is a person who opens and runs restaurants professionally. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who owns a restaurant, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspe ...

, who owns a restaurant chain based in London.

Early life

Hüseyin Özer was born in 1949, in a village of the Reşadiye town, in

situated in northern Turkey. His parents separated when he was very young. Unwanted by his parents, Özer was raised by his grandfather. Unable to attend primary school, he taught himself to read and write. Working in his village as a shepherd, Özer was sent at the age of eleven, to

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

in order to earn money, where he became a street kid. To learn English, he bought books. In 1967, he moved to

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

, where he found employment in restaurants as a dish washer. He continued to learn English, by paying a tutor to teach him. Following his military service, Hüseyin went to London in 1975, by bus, as he could not afford to fly there. There, he worked in a döner kebab shop in

Mayfair Mayfair is an area of Westminster, London, England, in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. It is between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane and one of the most expensive districts ...

and attended English courses in his spare time.

Career

Özer acquired the döner kebab shop he was working in, and turned it into a restaurant in 1981. His success paved the way for him to open more London restaurants, called " Sofra" (in Turkish dining table), in

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist sit ...

, Regent Street and

St John's Wood St John's Wood is a district in the London Borough of Camden, London Boroughs of Camden and the City of Westminster, London, England, about 2.5 miles (4 km) northwest of Charing Cross. Historically the northern part of the Civil Parish#An ...

. Each restaurant is unique. The menus consist of typical mezes, kebabs and desserts of

Turkish cuisine Turkish cuisine () is largely the heritage of Ottoman cuisine, Ottoman cuisine (Osmanlı mutfağı), European influences, Seljuk Empire, Seljuk cuisine and the Turkish diaspora. Turkish cuisine with traditional Turkic peoples, Turkic elements s ...

. He owns up to twenty cafés and restaurants in several locations in London. However, his current focus remains on the two fine dining restaurants. In addition to his restaurant business, chef Özer runs a catering service company. Özer has an estimated personal fortune of £37 million, according to television programme, The World's Richest People.

Social life

Dedicated to education, Özer established a trust in Ankara in his early years, which turned into a foundation named "Hüseyin Özer Education Foundation". In a partnership program with

Middlesex University Middlesex University London (legally Middlesex University and abbreviated to MDX) is a public research university based in Hendon, northwest London, England. The university also has campuses in Dubai and Mauritius. The name of the university is ...

, he teaches students how to open and run successful restaurants. He has contributed to the Turkish-English Chamber of Commerce.

Recognition

In 2011, Özer was honoured with the Entrepreneur of the Year award by the Star Network at the World Food Awards. In 2007–2008, his restaurant in Regent Street was recommended by

Michelin Guide The ''Michelin Guides'' ( ; ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The ''Guide'' awards up to three Michelin star (classification), stars for excellence to a select few restaurants ...

. He is one of the three Turkish people who was featured in the

Discovery Channel Discovery Channel, known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery, is an American cable channel that is best known for its ongoing reality television shows and promotion of pseudoscience. It init ...

's programme ''World's Richest People''. In 2011, Hüseyin Özer was given an honorary Doctorate of Letters by the

University of Westminster The University of Westminster is a public university, public university based in London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1838 as the Royal Polytechnic Institution, it was the first Polytechnic (United Kingdom), polytechnic to open in London. The Po ...

Book

References

External links

Hüseyin Özer website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ozer, Huseyin 1949 births People from Reşadiye British chefs British restaurateurs Turkish chefs Turkish restaurateurs Living people Turkish emigrants to the United Kingdom